The Reason He Left
by Sparrow Catcher
Summary: Jason feels left out when Tommy returns as the White Ranger. To make matters worse, he has to stand aside as Tommy and Kim renew their relationship. Looking for a way to keep from watching them together, he finds a way out through the peace conference.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. My life would be so different if I did.

A/N: Just to let you know, this story is not related to any of my other stories. The idea and basic premise for this story belongs to Lord Trixs. I hope I do it justice. The story starts out just about a week before Tommy becomes the white tiger ranger. Hope you like it.

It was a sunny Saturday morning in Angel Grove. The temperature was warm for this time of year. At the local youth center, Ernie, the owner, was just opening his doors. He knew that Saturday was always a busy day for him. He wanted to have everything ready for the kids who would be arriving very shortly.

In the park, a tall, broad shouldered young man was walking towards the youth center. He had dark brown hair that he kept cut short. Dark brown eyes looked at you from a handsome face. His short-sleeved red top hid his shoulder muscles from view, but you could clearly see the well-developed muscles in his upper and lower arms. The top was loose, not showing the well-defined muscles of his upper chest and stomach. His slim waist and hips were hidden beneath the top as well, powerful leg muscles hidden beneath the loose fitting red pants he had on. White sneakers showed under the hem of the pants as he walked.

The young man came to the lake in the park and moved off the trail, walking over to stand at the lake's edge. He looked out over the calm waters, watching them as a gentle breeze stirred them just a little. He gave a little sigh as his mind wandered over the events of the past few weeks.

_The rangers were in the command center, having teleported into it after defeating another of Zedd's monsters. _

_Jason, the red morphing ranger, shot out his left hand, gripping the green ranger's arm to keep him from falling over._

_Tommy, the green ranger, shook his head, un-morphing and giving Jason a small smile. "Thanks, bro," he said quietly._

_Jason nodded, letting go of Tommy's arm when he was sure that he was not going to fall over. He un-morphed, watching Tommy from the corner of his eye. Guilt began to weigh heavy on him as he realized that Tommy's powers were becoming weaker after each battle they fought. He was blaming himself for not stopping this from happening. Jason stepped back as the other rangers moved to Tommy, wanting to make sure that he was all right._

Jason stood beside the lake, bending down and picking up a few stones. He began to skip them over the water as his thoughts continued to go over the past few battles they had had with the green ranger at their side.

_Tommy took a powerful hit from one of the putties, staggering back and going down to his knees. He looked up, stunned and helpless, as another putty approached him. He put his head down, waiting for the blow that he knew was coming._

_Jason moved, flipping over Tommy and landing in front of him, blocking the blow of the putty and sending a powerful blow into its chest. He turned to Tommy as the putty broke apart, leaning down with his hand held out. He pulled Tommy to his feet, making sure he could stand on his own, before turning back to fight some more of the putties._

_Tommy stood back, trying to get his strength back as he watched Jason dispatch three more putties. He sighed under his helmet, feeling like an inconvenience to the other rangers. He shook his head and got back into the fight._

Jason skipped another rock across the calm waters, his mind going to the last time he saw Tommy here in Angel Grove.

"_I have to go, Jason," Tommy said, standing in the family room at Jason's house. "I need time to adjust to not having the powers anymore. Some time away from here, without having to deal with Zedd or his putties, will do me some good."_

_Jason looked at Tommy, trying to fight down the guilt that was building up in him. "If I had gotten the green candle, this never would have happened," he said, the guilt clearly in his voice. "You would still have your powers and still be a part of the team. I'm sorry I let you down, Tommy."_

_Tommy walked over to Jason, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This is not your fault, Jason," he said, conviction strong in his voice. "Rita started this and Zedd finished it. You did everything you could to help me. Stop beating yourself up over this."_

_Jason looked into Tommy's eyes, the guilt still heavy upon him. "I should have done more," he said, anger creeping into his voice. "As the leader, I'm supposed to protect you and the others. I failed at that and now you're no longer a part of the team."_

_Tommy grabbed Jason's shoulders, gripping them strongly. "I'm not blaming you for this," he said in a low voice. "And I won't let you blame yourself for it either. You are a great leader, Jason. You did not let me down, or any of the others. You have done more to keep us safe than any of us thought was possible. Stop blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."_

_Jason stood in silence, not sure what to say to Tommy._

_Tommy tightened his grip on Jason's shoulders, looking into his eyes. "I'm not leaving until I hear you agree with me, Jason," he said quietly. "Tell me that you won't keep blaming yourself for this, please. I can't go away until I know that my best friend is going to be okay with this."_

_Jason slowly nodded, letting his breath out slowly. "I'll be okay," he said. "Just don't stay away too long. Part of the team or not, you will always be a ranger."_

_Tommy pulled Jason into a hug, feeling Jason return it. He gave Jason a small smile as they pulled back. "I'll see you soon, Jason," he said, turning to leave the house. "Keep an eye on Kim for me. I'll be back before you know it."_

_Jason managed to give Tommy a small smile, keeping silent as he watched Tommy walk out of the room._

Jason shook his head as the memories stopped. He sighed once again, then turned from the lake and headed towards the youth center. He had thought he was over the guilt of Tommy losing his powers, especially after getting the letter from Tommy a few days ago. The letter had enabled Jason to let go of the guilt long enough to win the karate tournament last week, but he was feeling it start to come on again. He was beginning to wish he had lost his powers instead, letting Tommy stay with the rangers in his place. That would have made Kim happy, he knew that.

Jason's thoughts went to Kim as he drew closer to the youth center. That was another issue he had to deal with. He sighed once again as he thought about telling her how he really felt about her. He was crazy about her, not just as a friend. He had thought about telling her his feelings, but had chickened out every time the opportunity came up. He had thought that, once Tommy had left, the timing would be right. Every time he thought he felt brave enough to do it, she mentioned Tommy and he kept his mouth shut. He shook his head, a cynical smile coming to his face. _It won't matter how you feel_, he thought. _She likes Tommy and does not have eyes for anyone else. Telling her would just ruin your friendship_. Jason shook his head once again as he drew close to the youth center's entrance. He would just have to forget all of this for now. He had to concentrate on his martial arts classes this morning. The kids did not need their instructor to be distracted by his personal problems.

Ernie smiled as he saw Jason enter the youth center. "Morning, Jason," he said, walking over to the bar as Jason sat on one of the stools. "You're here early."

Jason smiled at Ernie. "Mom and dad are both at work," he said. "I didn't want to sit around an empty house, so I decided to come here. I'll get in a good workout on the weights before my classes start."

Ernie nodded, handing Jason a glass of water. "Want some breakfast," he asked, knowing that Jason often didn't fix his own when his parents were working.

Jason grinned. "Sounds good," he said. "Nothing heavy though. I don't want the kids to show me up because I'm too full from eating."

Ernie grinned. "All right," he said. "I'll make it a two egg omelet, instead of three."

Jason chuckled as Ernie turned from the bar and headed into the kitchen. He sat sipping his water, looking around the empty youth center. He was definitely early. 

Ernie came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, setting a plate down in front of Jason with an omelet and a couple pieces of toast. He poured Jason a glass of juice, smiling at him. "Enjoy," he said. "This one is on me."

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but stopped as Ernie held up his hand. 

"No, Jason," Ernie said. "I'm not taking any money for this. You help me out whenever I need it. Just enjoy it and consider it payment for hauling heavy things for me."

Jason grinned at Ernie. "Thanks, Ernie," he said. "I appreciate that."

Ernie nodded and headed back towards his office, wanting to get some paperwork done before his busy time started.

Jason sat at the bar, eating his breakfast in silence. He had just finished when the first few people started filing into the youth center.

Jason came out of the locker room, having changed into his karate outfit after working out on the weights. He smiled as some of his students from his first class came into the youth center. Jason set his gym bag on the bench, and then went over to the mats. He began stretching out, getting his muscles loose for his class.

Two girls walked towards the youth center later that morning, talking to each other about plans for later in the day.

One of the girls was tall and slim, long dark hair falling down her back to about the middle of it. She was very pretty, with brown eyes that seemed to sparkle with a love of life. She was dressed in a yellow tank top with yellow jeans and white sneakers. She was just about the nicest girl in Angel Grove, open and friendly to everyone she met.

Her friend was also pretty, her light brown hair falling to just past her shoulders. Her brown eyes sparkled with a love of life. She was slim and very petite, standing a good three inches shorter than her friend. She had on a pink tank top, under a white short-sleeved shirt that was open in the front. She wore dark pink shorts and pink sneakers. She was excited to get to the youth center, wanting to share some news with her friends.

The two girls walked into the youth center, glancing over at the mats to see their friend Jason teaching his last martial arts class. They headed over to a table, taking a seat and watching Jason as he worked with his students.

The tall girl smiled, glancing at her friend. "Jason is so good with those kids, Kim," she said. "They just seem to hang on his every word."

Kim smiled, nodding at her friend. "I know, Trini," she said. "They all look up to him like he was a hero. If only they knew just how much of a hero he is, they would be floored."

Trini smiled, nodding in agreement. "I know," she said. "But, I think that would just make them admire him more."

Kim nodded, looking up as two boys entered the youth center. She waved to them, smiling as they walked over to the table.

One of the boys was tall and slim, wiry muscles showing on his arms under the short-sleeved white top he was wearing. His face was good looking, but not in an eye catching way. His light brown hair was cut short, but not as short as his friend Jason. His blue eyes were hidden beneath wire-rimmed glasses. He had on blue jeans and blue sneakers. He smiled at the girls as he took a seat, his attention drawn to the mats as he watched Jason teaching his class.

The other boy was not as tall as his friend, but he was still slim. Hard muscles covered his body. His dark face was also good looking, but he did not attract as much attention as Jason. He didn't mind, though, having eyes for only one girl. He was the nicest person in the entire city, smiling easily and having a love for life. He wore a multi-colored shirt over black shorts, black sneakers on his feet. He smiled at the girls as he sat down. "Hey, Kim, Trini," he said. "What's going on?"

Kim smiled at him. "We just got here, Zack," she said. "I have some good news, but wanted to wait until Jason is finished his class and can join us."

The other boy turned to Kim, smiling at her. "Can't you give us a hint," he asked.

Kim shook her head. "Not until Jason can join us, Billy," she said. "He'll want to hear this too."

Jason smiled at his students as the class ended. "Good job, everyone," he said. "Keep working on your moves and I'll see you next week." He put his hands to his sides, bowing to his students as they did the same. He grinned as the kids moved away, going over to their parents who were waiting for them. He walked over to his gym bag, pulling a bottle of water out and taking a drink. He heard someone walk up behind him and turned, smiling at the young man who approached him. "Hey, Derek," Jason said. "How are you this morning?"

Derek smiled at Jason. "Hi, J-j-jason," he stuttered. "I'm f-f-fine. How are you?"

"Just fine, Derek," Jason said. He looked past Derek and tensed slightly, seeing three boys walking up behind the young man. He gently grabbed Derek's arm, pulling him to the side and watching the three boys warily.

One of the boys, the leader, was tall and heavily muscled. He stood two inches taller than Jason and outweighed him by twenty pounds. He was a menacing figure, his face usually wearing an angry expression. He came to a stop in front of Jason, looking at Derek with a glare. "Look who's here, boys," he said to his two friends. "The dummy."

Jason moved to stand right in front of the boy, not intimidated by him at all. "Back off, Gary," he said his voice low and threatening. "Don't start something you won't be able to finish."

Gary turned his glare to Jason, looking him up and down slowly. "Not even on your best day, Scott," he said, sensing his friends moving to stand on either side of him. "Just stay out of this and mind your own business."

"Derek's my friend," Jason said, refusing to back down. "That makes this my business. Mess with my friends, you mess with me."

Gary looked at Jason, trying to stare him down, but failing. He gave Jason an ugly smile. "You looking for a fight, Scott," he asked, noticing his two friends moving to stand on either side of Jason.

Jason did not pay attention to Gary's friends, keeping his eyes locked on Gary. "No, just trying to keep you from doing something you'll regret," he said. "So, just go away and leave Derek alone."

Billy and Zack stood up, moving from the table and heading towards the mats. They knew Jason could take Gary, but also knew that Gary would not fight fair if it came to that. Before they could reach Jason, three more guys moved towards the group on the mat, wanting to intervene before things got out of hand.

One of the guys, matching Gary in height and weight, came to a stop right behind him. "Is there a problem, Gary," he said, smiling as Gary spun around to look at him.

Gary looked at the guy, shaking his head. "No problem, Steve," he said. "Just talking, that's all."

Steve smirked at Gary. "Right," he said. He glanced past Gary to look at Jason, and then met Gary's eyes once again. "If you want to take Jason on, go ahead," he said. "But your friends stay out of it, got it?"

Gary stiffened, knowing that with Steve and his two friends there, his friends would not take part in anything he tried to do. He glanced over his shoulder at Jason, narrowing his eyes at him. "One of these days, Scott," he began, "we'll meet up when none of your friends are around. Then we'll see just how tough you are." He nodded to his friends and moved around Steve, heading out of the youth center.

Jason relaxed, looking at Steve and giving him a grin. "Thanks," he said. "That could have gotten real ugly."

Steve smiled at Jason. "Anytime, Jason," he said. "Any friend of my brother's is a friend of mine." He looked at Derek as he moved to stand in front of Jason. "Are you ready to go, Derek," he asked.

Derek nodded, looking at Jason. "Bye, J-j-jason," he said. "I'll s-s-see you n-n-next w-w-week."

Jason gave Derek a broad smile. "Keep working on your moves, Derek," he said. "You'll make yellow belt before you know it."

Derek beamed, nodding at Jason. He picked up his gym bag and left the youth center with his brother and his friends.

Jason let his breath out slowly, turning to grab his gym bag. He turned back around, grinning at Zack and Billy as they walked over to him. "Hey, guys," he said. "Come to see the show?"

Zack grinned at Jason, shaking his head. "Only you would see it that way, Jason," he said. "What was that all about anyway?"

Jason shrugged. "Gary was trying to start trouble with Derek," he said. "I was just making sure that he knew how I felt about it."

Billy frowned at Jason. "Gary Wilkerson is not someone to mess around with, Jason," he said. "He's as mean as they come."

Jason nodded at Billy. "I know that," he said. "But, I'm not afraid of him. Nobody picks on my friends when I'm around." He slung his gym bag over his shoulder. "I'm going to grab a quick shower," he said. "I'll join you guys in a few minutes."

Zack and Billy watched Jason walk towards the locker room, then exchanged glances. "This could be something we'll have to keep our eyes on," Billy said. "I don't see Gary letting this go at all."

Zack nodded in agreement. He put his hand on Billy's shoulder. "Let's go join the girls again," he said. "I can't wait to hear Kim's news once Jason is with us."

Billy nodded and the two of them walked back over to the table and sat down.

Jason sat down at the table with his friends, smiling at the girls. "Hey, Kim, Trini," he said. "What's new?"

Kim smiled at him. "Well, now that you've joined us, I can share my news," she said. She looked at the others. "I got a letter from Tommy yesterday. He's coming home. He'll be here by the end of the week."

Smiles broke out on everyone's faces. "That's great to hear," Zack said. "It will be good to see him again."

Billy nodded. "It sure will," he said. "We should do something to welcome him back."

Trini smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "That sounds like a great idea, Billy," she said. "We could throw him a surprise party. That would let him know just how glad we are to see him again."

The others nodded in agreement, liking the idea of a party to welcome their friend home.

Jason sat back, listening to the others plan the party. He was glad that Tommy was coming back, but his emotions were mixed up inside. This likely meant that Tommy and Kim would pick up right where they left off, a thought that did not make Jason happy. He mentally shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. He had had his chance to tell Kim how he felt, now that chance was gone. Tommy was coming back and by the look on Kim's face, he knew that he could not tell her his feelings now. He would just have to stand back and watch the two of them, not letting either of them know just how he felt. This was going to be a long week for him.

A/N: Let me know what you think. I'm still working on my other story as well as this one. I don't know when I'll update either one, but I'll do both of them when I can. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. Enough said.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Let me know.

Jason walked down the hallway in the high school, heading for his locker. It was Wednesday afternoon, three days since Kim had told them the news about Tommy coming home. Jason let a little sigh escape his lips as he got to his locker, his emotions mixed up about this.

On the one hand, he would be glad to see Tommy again. Over the past year, they had become very close, closer than two brothers could even be with each other. They were best friends, rivaling each other in their martial arts skills. They had spent many hours sparring with each other at the youth center, even teaching some classes together.

On the other hand, Jason knew that once Tommy was back, he and Kim would pick up right where they left off. Jason did not know how he was going to handle watching the two of them together. It was going to take all that he had to keep his feelings from showing to everyone.

Jason shook his head, opening his locker and putting his books in it. He pulled out some test papers to take home, knowing that his parents would want to see them. He folded the papers and stuck them in his back pocket. He closed his locker and turned away from it, heading for the front doors of the school.

Derek and one of his friends were walking through the park, heading for the youth center. They did not talk much, just walked side by side on the trail, enjoying the warm day. They were almost to the youth center when three shadows passed over them.

Derek looked up, fear biting into him as he saw Gary and his two friends blocking their way.

Gary smiled wickedly at Derek. "Well, if it isn't the dummy," he said, smiling wider as his friends snickered. He looked around behind Derek, as if he was expecting someone else to show up. He looked back to Derek. "Where's your bodyguard, dummy," he asked.

Derek stood in silence, refusing to answer Gary.

Derek's friend went to move past the three boys, but was stopped by one of Gary's friends. "Where do you think you're going," the bigger boy said.

Derek looked at Gary's friend. "L-l-leave him alone," he said, anger coming over him.

Gary laughed as his other friend grabbed Derek. "What are you going to do about it, dummy," he said, hitting his one fist into the other. He looked at his two friends. "Let's get them out of sight," he said. "Time to teach these two what it means to cross me."

Gary's friends nodded and pulled the two younger boys off the trail and into some trees. They dragged the two struggling boys into a small clearing, shoving them up against a couple of trees and holding them firmly there.

Jason had met up with Zack as they both were leaving the school. They were now jogging through the park, headed for the youth center. Jason slowed down as the neared the youth center, hearing some strange noises in the trees near him. He looked at Zack, silently pointing towards the trees.

Zack nodded, also hearing the noises and wondering what was going on. He followed Jason into the trees, coming to the clearing.

Jason looked into the clearing and anger surged through him. Gary was standing in front of Derek, raining punches onto the smaller boy as hard as he could. There was another boy down on the ground, cuts and bruises showing on his face.

Zack saw the look on Jason's face and knew there would be no stopping him. He did not even bother to try, turning and heading out of the trees as fast as he could. He ran to the youth center, looking for help. He knew that Jason was going to confront Gary and that thought leant speed to his feet.

Jason slipped into the clearing, fully aware that Zack had gone for help. He could not wait for others to get there. Gary had to be stopped now before he killed Derek.

Gary drew back his fist, preparing to hit Derek again. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and then he was spun around. He did not see the face of the person as a fist slammed into his face. He felt his nose crumble under the fist, then blood pouring out of it. Gary lifted both of his hands to his face, grabbing his nose and trying to stop the blood.

Jason went into a spin on his left foot, his right leg shooting out as he came back around. His foot hit Gary in the chest, knocking him down from the blow.

One of Gary's friends snarled in anger, releasing Derek's left arm and charging at Jason. His arms shot out, meaning to grab Jason and wrap him in a bear hug.

Jason grabbed the boy's right wrist in his left hand, pivoting as he did so. His right hand went up, gripping the boy's right bicep as he placed his back against the boy's chest. Jason bent at the waist, heaving on the trapped limb as he did so.

Gary's friend let out a yell of surprise as his feet left the ground. He flew over Jason's shoulder, landing hard on his back. He lay there, stunned and breathless as he heard Jason take on the other boy.

Gary's other friend charged at Jason, wrapping his arms around Jason's waist and taking him to the ground.

Jason landed on his side, rolling over onto his back before the boy could stop him. His hands came up, crossed at the wrists and blocking the punch, the boy sent at his head.

Gary's friend forced his arm down, smiling as Jason's arms started slowly lowering, forcing them toward Jason's chest.

Jason strained his arms, trying to keep the boy from reaching him as his eyes darted around, looking for a way out of this. He saw nothing to help him and decided to try something else. He planted his feet, heaving his hips upwards as the boy almost forced his arms down to his chest.

The boy lost his balance and rolled off Jason, coming to his feet. He turned, seeing Jason roll to his feet.

Jason got to his feet, seeing Gary and his other friend also coming to their feet. Jason dropped into a defensive stance, his eyes darting between the three boys who were now moving towards him in a rough semi-circle. He hoped that Zack found some help, and quickly, or he was in big trouble.

Zack ran into the youth center, looking around in desperation. He did not know how long Jason could hold out against the three boys. He felt relief flood over him as he spotted Steve sitting at a table with five of his friends. Zack ran over to them, breathing hard.

Steve looked up as Zack ran over to his table. He came to his feet as Zack quietly told him what was going on. "Where," he asked.

"The trees just before the park ends," Zack said. "Jason went in there, wanting to stop Gary, Todd and Will. He's facing the three of them alone."

Steve looked at his friends, nodding his head towards the door. He looked back to Zack as his friends moved to exit the youth center. "You'd better call the police," he said. "And get an ambulance. We'll go help Jason."

Zack nodded, heading over to the phones as Steve ran out with his friends.

Jason went into a spin, his left leg held waist high. He snapped his leg out, catching Todd in the side with the kick. He continued spinning, ducking under the fist that Gary swung at him. He came back up, facing Will and snapping his right fist up.

Will took the fist under the chin, snapping his head back. He staggered away from Jason, trying not to fall down, as the trees seemed to dance before his eyes.

Gary stepped forward before Jason could spin back around, wrapping his arms under Jason's shoulders. He tightened the hold, pulling Jason's back up against his chest as he spun him to face Todd.

Todd's right fist shot out, slamming into Jason's stomach with all of his power behind it.

Jason grunted in pain as the blow landed, not able to bend over and try to lessen the pain. He gasped as Todd slammed his fist into his ribs next, feeling like he had been kicked by a mule.

Gary chuckled as he heard Jason gasp again as Todd's fist slammed into his stomach once more. He looked at Todd over Jason's shoulder. "Get him in the face," he said. "See how much the girls like him then."

Todd grinned and shot his right fist forward, catching Jason on the left cheek. He pulled his fist back again, sending it forward and slamming it into the side of Jason's mouth.

Jason's head rocked to the side and he tasted blood in his mouth.

Todd slammed his fist into Jason's face once more, cutting him over his left eye. He drew back his fist to hit him again, but never got the chance to complete the blow.

One of Steve's friends grabbed Todd's fist and held it back, wrapping his other arm around Todd's waist and lifting him off his feet.

Will has just started back towards Jason, wanting to get his blows in on the young man, but never had the chance to get close.

Two more of Steve's friends came into the clearing, grabbing Will's arms and holding him still.

Gary let go of Jason, smiling slightly as Jason fell to his knees, his arms clutching at his ribs. He looked up and his smile faded as two more of Steve's friends came at him. He turned, wanting to run away, but Steve's friends grabbed his arms and shoulders, keeping him in the clearing.

Steve ran into the clearing, seeing his friends had everything under control. He headed towards Jason, but stopped as Jason lifted his head, shaking it at him.

Jason winced, pointing over towards one of the trees.

Steve looked to where Jason was pointing and his face paled. He ran over to Derek and his friend, looking in concern at the two boys who lay unmoving on the ground. Blood was pooling around the two boys as Steve knelt down, feeling their necks for pulses. He sighed with relief as he felt strong pulses from both of the boys. He looked up as he heard more people running into the clearing.

Jason looked up, seeing Kim, Trini, Billy and Zack coming into the clearing.

Kim and Trini saw the blood on Jason's face and ran over to him, kneeling on either side of him.

Jason winced as Trini took a rag and pressed it against the cut over his eye.

Trini grimaced, looking at the bruise that was forming on his left cheek and the cut on his lip. She shook her head, meeting Jason's eyes. "You look awful," she said.

Jason managed a small grin, but said nothing. His stomach and ribs were hurting too much at the moment.

Zack and Billy took one look at Jason, then turned and ran from the clearing, wanting to direct the police and paramedics to the right spot.

A few minutes later, police officers and several paramedics entered the clearing. Billy directed four of the paramedics towards Derek and his friend. Steve moved aside, letting the paramedics check Derek and his friend. He glanced over at Jason, seeing another paramedic kneeling in front of him. Steve walked over to hear what the paramedic was saying to Jason.

"You are going to need stitches," he said, just glancing at Jason's eyebrow and lip. He lifted Jason's shirt, seeing ugly bruises forming on his torso. "They'll probably want to take some x-rays of those ribs as well."

Steve's gaze went to Gary, satisfaction filling him as he saw two officers cuffing the boy. He saw the blood still running from Gary's nose and felt a little better. At least Jason had gotten in a couple of good hits before the others ganged up on him. Steve went back over to where the paramedics were strapping Derek and the other boy onto backboards to carry them out of the clearing.

Kim looked up as one of the officers walked over to stand in front of Jason. She paled as she saw it was Jason's father. She came to her feet, ready to defend her friend if his father said anything to him.

Michael Scott looked down at his son, anger clearly on his face.

Jason slowly looked up, meeting his father's eyes. He did not need to be told anything. The look on his dad's face said it all. He wondered how long he would be grounded for this.

Michael saw the cuts and bruises on Jason's face and kept from saying what he really wanted to say. He met Jason's eyes. "We'll talk later," he said, letting the rest go unsaid.

Jason did not do more than nod as Trini and the paramedic helped him to his feet. He kept his eyes down, not wanting to face his father at this moment. He silently walked from the clearing, Trini helping him towards one of the ambulances.

Kim put her hand on Michael's arm. "Mr. Scott," she said. "Don't be angry about this. Jason was just trying to help those two boys."

Michael looked at Kim, shaking his head. "Stay out of this, Kim," he said. "This is none of your concern." He turned and left the clearing, wanting to get to the station and file his report before heading to the hospital.

Kim stood back, watching as the paramedics carried Derek and his friend out of the clearing. She saw Gary and his friends taken out in handcuffs and anger began to flow through her. She turned and stalked angrily from the clearing.

Karen Scott was working in the emergency room when the radio dispatch came in about the transfer of four people involved in a fight. She stood near the doors, waiting for the ambulances to arrive so that she could direct the paramedics to the proper examining rooms. She saw the first one arrive and looked at the face of the young boy who was wheeled through the entrance. She shook her head as she saw all of the cuts and bruises on his face. "Take him to room three," she said. "Doctor Brooks is waiting there for him."

The paramedics nodded, wheeling Derek towards exam room three.

Karen looked back towards the doors, seeing another stretcher being wheeled towards the entrance. She shook her head as she saw this young boy as well. "Exam room two," she ordered the paramedics. "Doctor Evans is there."

One of the paramedics looked at Karen before they moved Derek's friend towards the exam room. "Jason is on the next ambulance," he said quietly. "He was involved in it."

Karen felt her heart skip a beat, but didn't let the panic show. She nodded at the man. "Thank you, Ken," she said. "How bad is he?"

Ken shrugged. "I just know he'll need stitches and x-rays." He and his partner wheeled Derek's friend to exam room two.

Karen stood anxiously at the entrance, watching as a third ambulance backed up to the entrance. She saw the doors open and two boys were helped out. One of the boys was in handcuffs, blood trickling from his nose. Jason was the other one.

The officer holding Gary looked at Karen as they came into the entrance. "He's got a broken nose," he said. "I've been told to stay with him while he's examined."

Karen nodded. "Take him into the first room on the right," she said, her eyes darting to Jason as he came in the entrance. "I'll have Jennie look at him."

The office nodded, taking Gary to the room Karen had pointed out.

Jason looked at his mom, not saying a word as the two paramedics walked with him.

Karen met his eyes, and then looked at the paramedics with him. "Take him to room four," she said. "I'll be there in a minute."

The two men nodded and led Jason towards room four.

Karen turned as she felt a hand on her arm, seeing her boss standing there. "Go with him," the man, said. "I'll handle the other three. Make sure Jason is all right."

Karen gave him a grateful smile and nodded, heading for room four without a word.

A/N: Next chapter will be up soon. Hope you liked it. See ya!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

Jason sat on the side of the examining table, slowly lifting his shirt over his head. He winced as his ribs protested the movement. He got his shirt off and set it on the table beside him, looking up as the door opened.

Karen Scott entered the room, looking at Jason. She saw the bruises forming on his torso and then looked up to meet his eyes. She grabbed an examing gown, walking over to him and silently helping him put it on. She moved around behind him, tying it in the back before moving back around to face him. "I'll take your shoes off," she said, leaning down. "But, you should be able to keep your pants and socks on."

Jason sat in silence, knowing that both of his parents were upset about this. Both of them had told him repeatedly to stay out of fights. They had let him take martial arts to keep him from getting into fights in the first place.

Karen removed Jason's sneakers and placed them on a nearby chair. She took his shirt, remaining silent and not looking at him, as she folded his shirt and placed it on top of his shoes. She adjusted the table so that he could lean back on it while still sitting up.

Jason avoided looking at her as he swung his legs onto the table and leaned back against it. He let his breath out slowly, not sure how to start the conversation. "Say something, mom," he said, his voice quiet. "Yell whatever. Just say _something."_

Karen looked at Jason, anger in her eyes. "What do you want me to say, Jason," she asked, her voice clipped with her anger. "You know how your father and I feel about this. Why would you do something like this?"

"I didn't go looking for the fight," Jason said, keeping his voice calm. "I saw Gary and two of his friends beating on Derek and another boy and I lost my temper. I had to stop it, even if it meant fighting them." He met his mother's gaze with defiant eyes. "I'm not sorry," he said. "And, if I had to do it again, I would."

Karen looked at Jason, surprise replacing her anger. He had never talked to her or Michael with this tone before and she did not know what to make of it. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I want to be there when you tell your father that," she said.

Jason looked away from her. "He knows about the fight," he said, his eyes on the wall before him. "He was one of the officers that responded to the call."

Karen pulled up a chair, sitting down and letting her breath out slowly. "What did he say," she asked.

Jason shook his head. "Nothing," he said, shifting slightly on the table and wincing as his ribs protested the move. "Just said that we would talk later." He looked at his mom once again. "Could you find out how Derek and his friend are doing," he asked. "I didn't get the chance to ask anyone."

Karen nodded, standing up and brushing his hair back from his forehead. She leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see what I can find out," she said. She put her fingers under his chin, making him look at her. "Are you okay," she asked softly.

Jason managed to give her a small smile. "I'm all right," he said. "Bruised, but I don't think anything is broken."

Karen managed a small smile of her own and nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll be back in a little while. Just relax. One of the doctor's should be in very soon."

Jason watched her walk out, letting his breath out slowly and trying to get comfortable on the table.

Karen entered exam room three, looking at the chaos that was happening in there. Derek was hooked up to an IV and various monitors were beeping as they kept track of everything from his breathing rate to his oxygen level.

Dr. Brooks saw her and turned things over to one of his nurses. He walked over to Karen. "That boy is lucky to be alive," he said. "He took several severe blows to the head, causing some swelling on the brain. The drugs we have given him should take care of that, though. Other than that, he'll have some pretty bad cuts and bruises to get over."

Karen looked at Dr. Brooks. "Jason stopped the other boys from beating him," she said.

Dr. Brooks gave her a small smile. "Then Jason should be thanked," he said. "If it had gone on just a couple of minutes longer, Derek might have died. Jason got to them just in time."

Karen did not know what to say to this, so she just nodded and left the examining room. She went to room two, seeing that this young boy was also hooked up to monitors.

Dr. Evans was studying one of them as Karen entered the room. Dr. Evans walked over to Karen, giving her a small smile. "I hear Jason stopped this from happening," she said. When Karen nodded, Dr. Evans smiled wider. "Jason saved Roger's life. If he had been hit just two more times in the head, the coroner would be looking at him right now, not me."

Karen looked at the young boy who was beginning to stir. "So, he'll be all right," she asked.

Dr. Evans nodded. "Yes," she said. "He'll be fine. A little sore for a while, but otherwise, he'll be fine."

Karen nodded and left the examining room. She walked into the hallway, looking up as she heard someone call her name. She saw Michael walking towards her and went over to meet him.

Michael looked at Karen, not sure what to make of the expression on her face. "What is it," he asked. "Is it something to do with Jason? Is he all right?"

Karen looked at Michael, letting her breath out slowly. "Do you know exactly what happened, Michael," she asked.

Michael shook his head. "No," he said. "The two boys down at the station are not talking. I came here to question Gary, though I don't think I'll get anywhere with that one either."

Karen put her hand on Michael's arm. "You go do that," she said. "I'm going back to sit with Jason. He will need stitches in the cut over his eye. Maybe in his lip as well."

Michael frowned. "If he hadn't gotten into the fight.." his voice trailed off as Karen held up her hand.

"I'm not any happier about that than you are," she said. "But, both Dr. Brooks and Dr. Evans said that if Jason hadn't interfered, both of those boys would be dead now. Because he got into the fight, he saved the two of them from being beaten to death."

Michael looked at Karen, surprise showing on is face. "They were hurt that badly," he asked.

Karen nodded. "I've talked to Jason," she said. "I think you should know that he's not sorry about doing what he did. And he told me if he had to do it again, he would."

"He told you that," Michael asked.

Karen allowed a small smile. "Very defiantly," she said. "I think that's the first time he ever talked to me like that."

Michael allowed a small smile to come to his face. "Well, is sound like he's starting to gain some independence from us," he said. "What are we going to do about this?"

Karen shook her head. "Nothing right now," she said. "You are going to go talk to the other boy while I make sure Jason is going to be all right. We'll all three sit down and talk about this at home, later."

Michael nodded, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a few minutes," he said. "What room is Jason in?"

"Room four," Karen said.

Michael nodded and turned to walk down the hall towards the room Gary was in.

Karen turned and headed for room four, wanting to let Jason know about Derek and Roger.

Jason looked up as someone walked into the examining room. Surprise showed on his face as Bulk walked into the room.

Bulk gave Jason a small smile. "Hey, Jason," he said, walking over to stand beside the bed. "How are you doing?"

Jason looked at Bulk, a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm okay," he said. "Bruised, but okay."

Bulk nodded, then cleared his throat, looking around a little nervously. He looked back to Jason, giving him another small smile. "I know we're not the best of friends," he said. He shrugged. "Heck, I guess we're not even friends. But I just had to come here and thank you."

"For what, Bulk," Jason asked, clearly not understanding what was going on here.

"The other boy," Bulk said. "The one that was with Derek. He's my brother. The doctors said that, if you hadn't stopped the beating, he would have died. He owes his life to you."

Jason looked at Bulk, not sure just what to say. He cleared his throat, neither of them seeing that Karen was standing just inside the room, listening to the two boys.

Bulk held up his hand, stopping Jason from saying anything. "Look, Jason," he said. "I know I haven't been your biggest fan, but I just wanted you to know something. If you ever need help, I'll be there. I'll watch your back. I figure I owe you one."

Jason gave Bulk a small smile. "Thanks, Bulk," he said. "You don't have to do that, but thanks."

Bulk smiled and nodded. He looked at Jason and then turned to leave the room. "I'll let you relax," he said. "See you later, Jason."

Karen slipped out of the room before either of the boys spotted her. She made it look like she was just about to enter the room as Bulk opened the door to leave. "Farcus," she said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Bulk smiled at her. "Hi, Mrs. Scott," he said. "I just wanted to see how Jason was doing. He'll be okay, won't he?"

Karen smiled. "I think he'll be fine," she said. "What are you doing here at the hospital?"

"My brother, Roger, was the other boy that was beaten up," Bulk said. "He's going to be okay though, thanks to Jason."

Karen nodded. "That's good to hear," she said. "Tell your mom I said hi."

Bulk nodded and moved down the hall. "I'll do that," he said, disappearing into the waiting room.

Karen smiled and opened the door to Jason's room. She was beginning to feel very proud of her son. In spite of the fact that he had gone against their wishes, he had done the right thing. She walked into his room, seeing one of the doctor's heading towards it.

Michael opened the door to Jason's room, entering it quietly. He looked over to the bed, seeing one of the interns stitching the cut over Jason's eye. He silently walked over to the bed, standing on Jason's other side.

Jason sat still, not able to look at his father as the intern finished the last of the stitches.

The intern leaned back, looking at Jason. "That should do it," he said. "The doctor will be in with the results of your x-rays and to give you discharge instructions." He cleaned up his suturing materials. "Make sure to keep that dry for the next three days," he said. "Take care, Jason."

Jason gave him a small smile and nodded. He looked at his father as he pulled up a chair beside the bed.

Michael looked at Jason as he sat down. "I need to hear from you just what happened, Jason," he said, keeping his voice from showing his emotions. "Tell me everything, from the beginning."

Jason nodded, waiting until Michael had his notebook out, then began to tell his father the whole story.

Michael looked at Jason as he closed his notebook. He put it in his pocket, never taking his eyes off his son. "Gary and his two friends are not saying anything," he said. "I know that the Thompsons and the Bulkmeirs are going to press charges. If those three don't confess, you may be needed to testify at the hearing." He looked into Jason's eyes. "Are you willing to do that, son?"

Jason nodded. "Yes," he said. "I'll testify if it comes to that."

Michael nodded and stood up, looking down at Jason. "That's what I wanted to hear," he said. "About the other matter, your mother and I will talk to you at home tonight. I'll see you then." Michael walked from the room, going out into the hallway. He looked at the tall young man who was walking towards him.

Steve came to a stop in front of Michael, looking him in the eye. "Some of Jason's friends told me you're his father," he said. "I wanted to introduce myself to you. I'm Steve Thompson, my brother Derek is one of the boys Jason saved from being beaten to death."

Michael shook Steve's hand. "How is your brother," he asked.

"The swelling in his brain is going down," Steve said. "The meds are working. They're keeping him sedated so that the meds will continue to work. They're going to be transferring him to the ICU in a little while where he can be monitored around the clock." Steve paused, then looked at Michael before he could say anything. "Look, I know this is none of my business," he said. "But, I just have to say this. What Jason did took a lot of guts. He went into that clearing, facing down three people who are all three inches taller than him and outweigh him by sixty, seventy pounds combined. He may not have done what you considered right, but I'm proud that my brother has a friend like that. There aren't many people in this world today that would stand up and do the right thing like that, especially when they know, they may not win. Just keep that in mind when you decide whether to punish him or not."

Michael looked at Steve, seeing the determined look in his eyes. He let a small smile come to his face. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. "Let us know how your brother is doing. I know Jason will want to be informed." He moved around Steve and headed down the hall, his thoughts on all the things Steve had said.

Jason looked up as Steve walked into his room. He gave him a small smile. "Hi, Steve," he said. "How's Derek?"

Steve walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, looking at Jason. "They're going to move him to the ICU in a little while," he said. "But the meds are taking the swelling in his brain down. They doctor's are cautiously optimistic."

Jason nodded, shifting on the bed. He winced as his ribs protested the slight movement.

Steve grimaced as he looked at Jason. "What about you," he asked. "How are you doing?"

Jason gave him a cynical grin. "Five stitches above my eye," he said. "Three in my lip. Bruised ribs, stomach and cheek. Other than that, fine."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Not too bad," he said. "It might help you to know that you broke Gary's nose. I felt some satisfaction over that."

Jason grinned. "That's good to hear," he said.

Steve's smile faded and he looked into Jason's eyes. "Thank you, Jason," he said quietly. "If you hadn't stepped in, Derek would be dead now. You'll never know how grateful I am to you for doing that."

Jason met Steve's gaze, nodding slightly. "You're welcome," he said quietly.

Steve stood up, looking at Jason as his mother came back into the room. "I hear they're springing you," he said. "Get some rest, Jason. I'll let you know if anything changes with Derek." Steve nodded at Karen, giving her a smile and walked out of the room.

Karen went over to pick up Jason's shirt, walking over to him. She handed it to him, then moved around to untie the strings of the gown. "Let's get you home," she said. "The doctor said you are not to do anything until Saturday, so you'll be lying on the couch for the next two days. No school or anything else."

Jason winced as he pulled his shirt on slowly. "I'd argue with him," he said. "But, I think he might be right."

Karen got Jason's shoes, helping him put them on them tying them for him. She stood up and put her hand on his shoulder, preventing him from getting off the table. "I just want you to know one thing," she said softly. "I don't like the fact that you got into a fight, Jason. However, I understand why you did it and I'm proud of you for standing up for those two boys. You did the right thing."

Jason looked at her, surprise showing on his face. He gave her a small smile. "Thanks, mom," he whispered. "I didn't expect that."

Karen pulled him into a hug. "Don't make a habit of this, okay," she whispered. "I don't think I can handle seeing you hurt like this again."

Jason hugged his mom, then looked at her as she pulled back. "Don't worry," he said. "I don't go looking for fights. And I try to avoid them as much as possible."

Karen smiled and helped him off the table. "Come on," she said. "I'll walk you out. Mr. Cranston is going to take you home. Your father and I will be home before too late."

Jason nodded, walking slowly out of the examining room with his mother holding onto his arm.

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Next one up soon. Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. Anything else is mine, though.

Jason sat on the couch in his parent's family room. His ribs were starting to throb. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the muscle relaxants they had given him at the hospital. He looked up as Billy came into the room, holding a glass of water.

Billy handed the water to Jason, giving him a small smile. "I figured you'd want to take on of those," he said. "You were wincing a lot on the ride home."

Jason managed a small grin, nodding as he took the water and downed one of the pills. He looked at Billy as he set the glass on the end table. "My ribs are hurting a lot," he said. "The doctor told me these would help me relax enough to sleep."

Billy nodded, moving to help Jason adjust some of the pillows on the couch. He helped Jason lay back on the couch, making sure he was comfortable, before moving to a chair and sitting down.

Jason looked at Billy from the corner of his eye. "You don't have to stay, Billy," he said. "I'll probably fall asleep once that pill kicks in."

Billy smiled at Jason. "I'll feel better knowing you're not alone," he said. "I'll stay until your mom gets home. Just go ahead and relax."

Jason nodded, feeling the pill starting to work on him. "Okay," he said. "Thanks." He closed his eyes, his body slowly relaxing. He was soon asleep, his breathing deep and even.

Billy walked out of the family room as he heard Karen come into the house. He smiled at her, walking up to her as she put her sweater and purse into the closet. "Hi, Mrs. Scott," he said.

"Hello, Billy," she said. "How's he doing?"

"Sleeping right now," Billy said. "He took a muscle relaxant and it knocked him right out."

Karen nodded. "They'll do that," she said. "That's probably one of the reasons the doctor said no school. He can't be falling asleep in class from them." She looked at Billy as she closed the closet. "Do you want to stay for dinner," she asked.

Billy shook his head. "No, thanks," he said. "I have some homework to do and mom is making my favorite tonight. Maybe next time."

Karen smiled at him, nodding slightly. "All right," she said. "We'll do it another time." She walked Billy to the door. "Thank you for staying with Jason," she said. "And thank your father for bringing him home."

Billy smiled and nodded. "You're welcome," he said. "And dad said it wasn't a problem, since we live on the same block. But, I will tell him anyway. Bye, Mrs. Scott."

"Have a good evening, Billy," Karen said, closing the door behind him. She headed for the kitchen, glancing into the family room to make sure that Jason was still okay. She watched him sleeping for a few seconds, sighing lightly, then turned and headed into the kitchen to start dinner.

Michael Scott walked into the house a little over an hour after Karen had gotten home. He looked into the family room, seeing Jason still sleeping on the couch. He did not disturb his son, instead heading straight for the kitchen.

Karen looked up as Michael came into the kitchen. "Hi," she said, going over and giving him a quick kiss. "Dinner is almost ready."

Michael nodded, going over to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water. He opened it, taking a drink as he leaned against the counter. "So, how long has he been sleeping," he asked.

Karen stirred the spaghetti as she spoke. "Billy said he took a muscle relaxant before he lay down," she said. "He'll probably sleep for another hour. They do knock you out."

"Then, that will give us a chance to talk," he said. "Before I talk to Jason, that is."

Karen put her spoon down, turning to look at her husband. "Michael, I know our rule," she said. "And, just for the record, I'm not happy that Jason got into the fight." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth, shaking her head. "Let me finish," she said. "However, I can't punish him for this. I talked to the doctors who treated Derek and Roger. Jason saved their lives. And I do not think he could have done it any other way. I'm just grateful that he wasn't hurt more than he was."

Michael gave her a small smile. "I was going to say almost the same thing," he said. "I don't like the fact that he did get into the fight, but, you're right. It was the right thing to do." He smiled wider. "I'm actually proud of him for standing up for those two boys," he said. "He's growing up right before our eyes. I'm not sure just how to handle this."

Karen walked over to him, putting her arms around his waist. "We let him," she said. "We just have to trust that we've done the best job that we could with him and let him go his own way. If we have done our job right, he will be fine. I know it."

Michael smiled at her, leaning down and kissing her gently. He looked into her eyes as he pulled back. "You're right," he said. "We have to let him make his own mistakes and learn from them. But, I think we have given him a good start. And, this doesn't mean he is free from rules, either."

Karen gave a little laugh. "I know that," she said. "But, I think we can trust that he knows right from wrong. Today proved it. Not many people would have done what he did. Most would have just walked away, acting like they had never seen it." She moved her arms from his waist and went back over to the stove.

Michael moved away from the counter. "I'm going to grab a quick shower and change," he said. "I got the next two days off, so I'll be able to stay home with Jason. That way you don't have to take any extra time, save your vacation days."

Karen nodded. "Don't be too long," she said. "You have twenty minutes before dinner is ready."

Michael nodded and headed out of the kitchen.

Jason woke up just as his parents finished eating. He winced as he sat up on the couch, looking up as he heard his father enter the family room.

Michael walked over to Jason, helping him sit up slowly. "How you feeling, son," he asked.

Jason winced as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "Sore," he said. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just about four hours," Michael said. "Your mom has some dinner saved for you. If you feel like eating, I will help you out to the kitchen. We can talk while you eat."

Jason nodded, letting his dad help him up off the couch.

Michael let Jason walk on his own, just keeping pace with him in case he needed help. He pulled out a chair for Jason, waiting until he sat down before getting his plate for him.

Jason rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake up enough to eat. He gave his dad a small smile as he set the plate in front of him.

Michael grabbed a can of soda for Jason, taking one for himself and walked back over to the table. He set the sodas on the table and sat down across from Jason.

Jason began to eat his dinner, glancing up at his dad. He swallowed the bite of food and looked at Michael before taking another bite. "Go ahead and say what you have to, dad," he said quietly. "I'm listening."

Michael took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking. "I'm not sure where to start, Jason," he said, not letting any emotion show in his voice. "Your mom and I talked and came to a decision. We decided that, even though you got into a fight against our wishes, the reasons for it were understandable. We are not going to punish you for it."

Jason gave his dad a surprised look, but kept silent. He knew there was more to come, so continued to eat while giving his dad his attention.

"I'm not sure when it happened," Michael said. "But, somewhere along the line, you've become more independent. I am not sure how to handle it. I know you are learning how to make your way in this world, but you are not there yet. We set rules for a reason. Not to try to be mean, but to try to make you see that you cannot do whatever you please. Life does not work that way. Everyone has rules to follow. When you don't, you pay the consequences."

Jason set his fork down, meeting his father's eyes. "I don't mind the rules," he said softly. "I know why you and mom set them up." He shook his head. "I've seen the kids in the school who don't have any rules they have to follow," he said. "Their parents let them do whatever they want. I am glad that you and mom make me follow rules. It shows me just how much you care about me. I may not always agree with them, but I love and respect you and mom enough to follow them. Today, I made an exception; one that I knew would probably get me in trouble with you. But, I had to do it. I wasn't trying to take your authority away; I was just trying to stop something that was wrong." He gave his dad a small smile. "I don't go looking for fights, dad," he said. "But, if I saw something like that happening again, I would do whatever it takes to stop it. Any way I had to."

Michael looked at Jason as he picked up his fork and began to eat again. He let a small smile come to his face. "I believe you, Jason," he said. "And, just so you know, you saved both of their lives today. If you hadn't acted the way you did, both of those boys would be dead." He leaned forward, making sure that Jason understood what he felt about it. "I am proud of you, son," he said. "It took a lot of courage to face those three boys on your own. Just don't make this a habit, okay?"

Jason grinned at his dad. "Okay," he said. He sat back, wincing slightly as his ribs and stomach protested the movement. "Not without some backup next time." His grin grew wider as Michael gave him an angry glare. "I'm just kidding, dad."

Michael saw the glint in Jason's eyes and relaxed. He grinned at his son. "You have to spend the next two days with me, I'm afraid," he said. "I was all ready scheduled off, so I'll be here to make sure you do absolutely nothing, just as the doctor ordered."

Jason rolled his eyes. "It's just a few bruises," he said.

Michael held up his hand. "NOTHING, Jason," he said. "Those were the orders and that is what you are going to do, understand?"

Jason slowly nodded, not liking the thought of just lying around. However, he knew that his dad would make him do just that. He stifled a yawn, the muscle relaxant still making him feel a little groggy.

Michael stood up, taking Jason's plate over to the sink and rinsing it off. He put the plate in the dishwasher, and then walked back over to the table. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you to bed. I will bring the pillows from the couch so you can prop your side up with them. You need to get your rest."

Jason stood up from the table, heading for the stairs and going into his room.

Michael arranged the pillows on the bed, helping Jason get ready and into bed. He walked over to the door, looking back at his son as he turned out the light. "See you in the morning, Jason," he said. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight, dad," Jason said, his voice sleepy.

Michael smiled and closed the door, letting Jason get the rest he needed.

Thursday afternoon, Michael opened the front door, smiling at the four teenagers who stood on his front porch. "Well, I expected to see the four of you," he said. He opened the door wider. "Jason's in the family room," he said. "Go on in and see him."

Zack, Billy, Trini and Kim smiled, thanking him and making a beeline for the family room.

Jason looked up, smiling as his friends came into the family room. He moved his legs from the couch, wincing slightly as his ribs and stomach muscles protested the movements.

Trini was beside him quickly, looking at him in concern. "How are you doing, Jason," she asked.

Jason gave her a small smile, and then winced as he settled back into the couch. "Sore and bruised," he said. "But doing okay otherwise. How was school?"

Billy and Zack smiled at him, bringing his backpack over to set it on the floor beside the couch. "We brought your books and assignments," Billy said. "We thought you might want something to do besides watch TV."

Jason grinned. "That sound good," he said. "I'm not into talk shows or soap operas. There isn't much else on during the day."

Zack grinned at Jason, sitting down in a chair close to him. He studied Jason's face. "Black, blue, purple and yellow, Jase," he asked. "I don't know. I don't think those are your best colors."

Jason gave a little laugh, and then winced. "Don't make me laugh," he said. "It hurts."

Zack grimaced. "Sorry," he said. "I forgot about that."

Billy looked at Jason as he found a seat. "So, how are things between you and your parents, Jason," he asked. "Did you get grounded for life?"

Jason grinned and shook his head. "Dad and I talked last night," he said. "He made it clear that he wasn't happy about the fight, but he also understood why I did it. Considering the fact I do not go looking for fights, he figured having to spend two days at home, with him watching over me, was punishment enough. He's not letting me do anything without hovering."

Trini smiled, putting her hand on Jason's arm. "That's good," she said. "At least we know you'll listen to the doctor's orders with your dad around."

Jason gave her a mock frown. "It's just some bruises," he said.

Billy leaned towards Jason. "But, the doctor said not to do anything, Jason," he said. "So, it's good to know that your dad will make sure that you do just that."

Kim sat in silence, listening to the others talk to Jason. She wanted to say something to him, but not in front of the others. She was just waiting for the chance to be alone with him before telling him what was on her mind.

Trini glanced at her friend, feeling like Kim was holding something back. She did not say anything, just looking for the chance to give Kim some time alone with Jason.

Michael walked into the family room, looking at Zack and Billy. "Would you two boys be able to help me with something," he asked. "I need some things carried out of the shed. Karen wants to have a yard sale this weekend and I promised to get things together for her. It won't take long, but Jason isn't able to help me do it."

Billy and Zack stood up, smiling at Michael. "I'd be happy to help, Mr. Scott," Zack said.

Billy nodded in agreement and the two boys walked out with Michael, leaving the girls on their own with Jason.

Trini looked at Kim, and then turned to Jason. "I'm going to see about some drinks for us," she said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Jason nodded, not saying a word. He had noticed Kim's silence and wanted to know what was going on with her. He waited until Trini was out of the room, and then glanced at Kim. "Say what's on your mind, Kim," he said. "I know you want to, so do it."

Kim stood up, walking over to stand looking down at Jason. "What were you thinking," she asked her voice tight with emotion. "You could have been hurt a lot worse, taking on Gary, Todd and Will like that. Did that ever cross your mind?"

Jason looked at her, puzzled by her attitude. "I did what I had to do," he said. "I had to stop it, Kim. Anyway that I could. I was not going to let them kill those two. How could I do that and still look at myself in the mirror?"

Kim sat on the coffee table, right in front of Jason. "Do you still feel guilty about Tommy losing his powers," she asked. "Is that why you risked your life? To make yourself feel better about the fact you couldn't stop what happened to Tommy?"

Jason frowned at her. "Tommy had nothing to do with this," he said. "I saw something happening that I knew was wrong and I did something about it. That was all."

Kim gave him an angry look. "Come on, Jason," she said. "Ever since Tommy left, you have let the guilt eat away at you. I'm not the only one who has seen it."

"Believe it or not, Kim," Jason said, his anger coming on a little, "my life does not revolve around Tommy." He regretted the words as soon as he said them, but could not take them back.

Kim looked at him as if he had slapped her. She took a deep breath, hurt plainly on her face. "That sounds like a shot at me," she said quietly, pain in her voice.

Jason looked away from her, kicking himself for what he had just said. He cleared his throat and looked back to her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that."

Kim stood up, shaking her head. "That's what you think though, isn't it," she asked. "You think that all I do is focus on Tommy, right? That he's the only person I care about?"

Jason opened his mouth, but did not speak as she held up her hand.

"I was worried about _you_, Jason," she said softly. "When I saw you bleeding yesterday, kneeling there in pain, my heart almost stopped. I do not want to lose you. You are one of my best friends and believe it or not, I care about what happens to you. Tommy is not the only person in my life."

Jason looked away from her, wanting so badly to tell her what was in his heart. But, he knew that she would not want to hear it now. Whether she admitted it or not, Tommy was the center of her attention, Jason knew that. The knowledge tore him up inside, so he kept silent, not trusting himself to say anymore.

Kim looked at him, shaking her head. She took his silence the wrong way and turned, heading for the door. "I'll see you later, Jason," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "Tell the others I said goodbye."

Jason watched her walk from the room, his heart tearing up inside of him. He let his breath out slowly as he heard the front door close. He put his head back, mentally kicking himself once again. _Way to go, Scott_, he thought. _You had the chance and_ _you blew it once again. Plus, you let your jealousy get in the way, hurting the girl you love. You are such an idiot_. Jason closed his eyes, fighting to keep his emotions in check. He had just done the most stupid thing he ever could have done and he hated himself at this moment. Things just seemed to be going from bad to worse.

A/N: That's the end of this chapter. Next one will be up soon. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I am not that lucky.

Jason was on the couch Friday afternoon, just relaxing as he tried to find something on TV. He looked up as the doorbell rang. He got up from the couch, wincing as his ribs sent a stab of pain through him, and made his way out of the family room. He opened the door, surprise showing on his face as he saw Kim standing there. "Kim," he said, opening the door wider. "Do you want to come in?"

Kim nodded, wordlessly entering the house and waiting until Jason closed the door. She looked at him as he turned to her. "Can we talk," she asked.

Jason nodded and pointed towards the family room. "Come on in here," he said. "I was just watching some TV."

Kim walked into the family room, going over to a chair and sitting down.

Jason grabbed the remote and shut off the TV, sitting on the couch and looking at Kim.

Kim took a deep breath and looked at Jason. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Jason," she said. "I couldn't wait for school to end so that I could get over here. I didn't mean to sound so harsh to you yesterday."

Jason held up his hand, stopping her from saying anything else. "Stop, Kim," he said. "I'm the one who should apologize, not you. I should not have said what I did and I am sorry. I didn't mean it."

Kim shook her head. "Please Jason," she said. "Let me finish." She took a deep breath as Jason reluctantly nodded and sat back. "I was hard on you yesterday and I'm sorry. It's just that, you have always been a rock for all of us for so long; I was actually scared when I saw you hurt. You've always been the one to look out for us and I didn't know how to handle it when you got hurt. It scared me and I took it out on you." She met his eyes with her own. "Can we just forget the whole thing," she asked. "I don't want some stupid little argument to end our friendship."

Jason gave Kim a small smile. "I'll forget it if you will," he said. "I don't want to lose you as a friend, ever."

Kim smiled. "Done," she said. She sat back in the chair, relaxing for the first time since leaving this house yesterday. "How are you feeling?"

Half an hour later, Jason walked with Kim as she headed for the front door.

Kim looked at Jason as she opened the door. "So, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, right," she asked.

Jason nodded. "Dad said he'd drop me off on his way to work," he said. "I'm allowed to go as long as I promised that I wouldn't do anything other than sit around."

Kim smiled at him. "You can tell both your mom and dad that I promise you won't do anything," she said. "I'm sure Billy, Zack and Trini will back me up on this as well."

Jason gave her a mock frown. "I don't need babysitters," he said.

Kim giggled. "Too bad," she said. "That's exactly what you're going to have. Moreover, I'm sure Tommy will agree once he hears what happened. I doubt if he'll let you out of his sight after he sees the bruises on your face." She put a hand on his arm. "Get some rest, Jason," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She removed her hand and turned away from him, walking across the porch and down the sidewalk.

Jason stood in the door, watching her until she headed up the street. He let out a little sigh and closed the door, heading back to the family room.

Michael Scott came in from the back yard half an hour later, stopping at the door the door to the family room. He quietly entered the room and threw a light blanket over his son, leaving him to sleep without disturbing him.

In the mountains in Angel Grove, just around the same time that Kim showed up at Jason's door, a young man got out of the lake he had been swimming in and walked over to his towel. He picked up the towel and began to dry his lean, muscular body, swinging his long hair out of the way as it clung to his back and shoulders. He looked up as a strange, white light began to cover him. Before he could react or do anything, the light engulfed him and teleported him away.

Saturday afternoon, Michael pulled his car to a stop just outside the youth center. He looked at Jason as he put his hand on the door handle. "You promise to take it easy, Jason," he said.

Jason looked at his father as he opened the car door. "Don't worry, dad," he said. "Kim said she'd make sure I didn't do anything. I'm sure she talked Billy, Trini and Zack into it as well. I'll be fine."

Michael nodded as Jason got out of the car. "All right," he said. "I'll see you later. Tell Tommy we said welcome back."

Jason closed the door and looked into the car, nodding at Michael. "I'll do that," he said. "See you later, dad."

Michael drove off as Jason turned and walked into the youth center.

Steve Thompson sat in the waiting room of the ICU, lost in his thoughts. Derek had taken a turn for the worse last night, the swelling in his brain not responding to the meds. They had taken him to surgery and removed a part of his skull, hoping that that would lessen the swelling, but so far, it wasn't working. Steve sat there, thinking of the first time he had taken Derek for his martial arts lessons.

_Derek turned from the mirror, looking at Steve who stood behind him. "W-w-what do you think," he asked, showing him his martial arts outfit._

_Steve grinned at Derek. "You all ready look like a pro," he said. "Who's your instructor?"_

_Derek smiled. "J-j-jason S-s-scott," he said. "You kn-n-now, m-my n-n-new f-f-friend."_

_Steve nodded, helping Derek tighten the white belt around his waist. "I know Jason," he said. "He's a good guy. One of the most popular people in the school, even though he's only a sophomore. I heard his martial arts classes are popular. All the kids in Angel Grove want to learn from him. You're lucky you were able to get into one of them."_

_Derek's smile widened. "J-j-jason's the b-b-best," he said. "I l-l-like him a lot."_

_Steve nodded and stepped back. "I'm glad you have a friend like him," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him better myself. Think you could introduce me to him this morning?"_

_Derek nodded. "S-s-sure," he said. "I'd b-b-be glad to d-d-do that."_

_Steve put his arm around Derek's shoulders. "Good," he said. "We'd better get going. We don't want you to be late on your first day."_

Steve was brought from his memories as his mom and dad walked into the waiting room. He stood up as they walked over to him. He saw the tears in his mom's eyes and felt his heart sink as she wordlessly took him in her arms. Tears came to his eyes as his dad put his hand on his shoulder. "What is it," he asked in a whisper.

"The swelling is not going down, son," Robert Thompson said. "The doctor's said there isn't anything else they can do for Derek. He's not going to get any better. They want to remove him from the life support."

Steve pulled back from his mom's arms, shaking his head. "They can't give up, dad," he said, anger on his face. "He's only twelve. He has his whole life ahead of him."

Debbie Thompson put her hand on Steve's cheek. "It's time to let him go, Steve," she said. "There is nothing else they can do for him. We have to be strong enough to let him go."

Steve felt the tears streaming down his face, shaking his head as his mom and dad wrapped their arms around him. "No," he whispered. "There has to be something they can do."

Robert hugged his son and wife, his own eyes tearing up. "I'm sorry Steve," he whispered. "They've tried everything. There is nothing else they can do."

Steve put his head on his mom's shoulder and cried silently, clinging to his parents as they grieved together.

Billy walked over to Jason as he entered the youth center. "Hey, Jason," he said. "Come on over and sit down. How are you feeling?"

Jason smiled at Billy as they walked over to their table. "Still a little sore," he said. "But, at least I can move without too much pain." He sat down at the table, looking at the decorations around the youth center. "How much did Kim have you doing this morning," he asked as Billy sat down beside him.

"Too much," Billy said. "I'll be glad when Tommy gets here. Maybe she'll relax after that."

Jason grinned, but before he could respond, they heard an explosion outside the youth center.

Both boys came to their feet, heading for the door as the building shook from the explosion.

Zack, Trini and Kim had been standing on the other side of the youth center. They looked towards the door, seeing Jason and Billy exit and ran after them.

The five teens stood outside the youth center, looking towards the park and the cloud of smoke that rose from over a nearby hill.

Zack grabbed Jason's arm before he could head towards the smoke. "Let Billy and I take a look," he said. "You stay here with Kim and Trini. We'll let you know what we find."

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but stopped as Trini took his other arm.

"Be careful," Trini said. "Let us know if you need help."

Zack nodded and jogged off with Billy at his side.

Trini and Kim stood beside Jason, watching their two friends head for the park. Kim looked at Jason. "Let's go back inside," she said. "We can wait to hear what they found in there."

Jason did not argue with them, knowing he would never win, and headed back into the youth center with them.

Half an hour later, Zack came back into the youth center and headed straight for their table. He sat down as the others looked at him, the questions plain in their eyes. "We didn't find anything other than a big crater," he said. "Billy tried to contact Zordon, but neither he nor Alpha answered. He went to his house to get the radbug and he's going to the command center to find out what is going on. He said he'd meet us back here."

Lord Zedd stood on the balcony of his palace, watching the rangers with curious eyes. He turned away from the earth, looking at Goldar. "Why didn't that brat Jason go to the park," Zedd asked. "He's usually right in the middle of things. What could be keeping him from finding out what landed there?"

Goldar drew his teeth back in a snarl. "Why don't I go down with some putties and find out," he asked, his eyes glowing with hate at the thought of the red ranger.

Zedd looked back to the earth, then turned to Goldar and nodded. "All right," he said. "Get Jason isolated from the others and see just what is going on with him."

Goldar nodded and teleported out of the moon palace.

Zedd turned back around to stare at earth through his visor. "What is wrong with you, Jason," he asked in a puzzled tone. "And, how can I use it to my advantage?"

Jason looked to the others as Billy came into the youth center and stood in the doorway. He stood up as Billy motioned for them to come out of the youth center. "Billy's back," he said. "Let's go find out what he knows."

The others stood up and followed Jason from the table, heading outside where they could talk without anybody over hearing them.

Jason looked at Billy as they gathered outside. "What did you find out, Billy," he asked.

Billy looked grimly at the others. "The command center is shut down," he said. "I looked around and found a secret room. Zordon and Alpha were in there, along with someone else I didn't see." He stopped and took a deep breath. "They're creating a new ranger," he said quietly. "I heard them mention that this ranger would be joining us as soon as they were done."

"What," Jason asked, his voice quiet with shock.

Kim looked upset. "What about Tommy," she asked. "Why didn't they give the powers to him? We lose him from the team and now have to welcome someone else? This is not fair."

Trini shook her head, looking at Billy. "Are you sure, Billy," she asked.

Billy nodded, letting his breath out slowly. "I'm sure," he said. "They are making a new ranger."

Zack opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as they heard an evil laugh behind them.

The five teens whirled around, looking at Goldar and the putties that stood looking at them. "Hello, Rangers," Goldar said. He looked over his shoulder at the putties. "Get them."

The putties charged the rangers.

Zack grabbed Jason's arm, pulling their leader back so that Zack was in front of him.

Billy, Trini and Kim moved away from Zack, giving themselves room to manuever.

Three of the putties moved away from the group, following Billy, Trini and Zack. The other five converged on Zack and Jason.

Billy flipped away from the putty approaching him, landing facing the putty. He ducked under the punch the putty threw at him, coming up with his left fist flying out. His fist hit the putty on the Z on its chest, causing it to break apart and disappear.

Trini went into a kneeling spin, holding her right leg out straight as she did so. Her foot caught the putty on the ankles, causing it to fall down. Trini came to her feeet and moved quickly. She slammed her left foot down on the putty's chest, hitting it squarely on the Z. She turned from it as it broke apart.

Kim faced the putty that was coming at her, going into the defensive stance that Jason had taught her. She ducked down under the swinging arm of the putty, bracing herself on her left leg. She stood back up and her right leg shot out in a forward kick, catching the putty on the Z with her foot. She lowered her leg as the putty broke apart.

Zack took a few steps from Jason, facing the five putties that charged at them. Too late, he saw three of them break away from the other two and move around him. Before he could do anything to try to stop the three, the other two reached him. Zack jumped into the air, his legs shooting out in a side split kick. His feet connected with the two putties' chests, hitting them squarely on the Zs. He landed back on his feet and spun, ignoring the two putties as they broke apart as he looked to see how Jason was doing.

Jason saw the three putties coming at him from both sides. He braced himself on his left leg, lifting his right leg to his waist with the knee bent. He spun on his left leg, shooting his right leg out at the first putty to come near him. His foot connected with the Z on the putty's chest and it broke apart as he spun away from it.

The other two putties converged on Jason before he could face them. They grabbed his arms to hold him still as three more putties appeared before the young man.

Jason used the putties holding his arms to brace himself and lifted his legs, kicking out to hit two of the approaching putties on the Zs. He lowered his right leg as the third putty rushed at him. Jason shot out his left leg, hitting the putty on the chest with his foot and catching the Z squarely. Pain ripped through his left side as he made the kick, making him drop his left leg quickly. Jason winced as the putties holding his arms forced them behind his back.

Goldar stood watching carefully, his eyes on Jason the whole time. He saw the red ranger try to lean to his left as the pain showed on his face and he looked at the putties holding the young man. "His left side," he growled.

The putty holding Jason's left arm released it as the other putty grabbed it, keeping Jason from moving away.

Before the other rangers could reach them, the putty threw a side punch, catching Jason in the ribs on his left side.

Jason gasped as fresh pain ripped through his ribs. He could not do anything to defend himself as the putty drew back its fist for another punch.

The putty holding Jason felt him start to sag in his arms and tightened his hold, wanting to keep the young man from falling to his knees.

Zack reached the putty before he could hit Jason again. He grabbed its arm with his left hand, jerking the putty away from his friend as his right fist shot out. He smiled in satisfaction as his fist hit the putty on the Z, breaking it apart.

Goldar looked at the last putty holding Jason, nodding in silent communication. He smiled evilly as the putty released Jason and the red ranger sank to his knees, his arms clutching his left side. "Until next time, rangers," Goldar said teleporting away.

The last putty disappeared as Zack knelt beside Jason, concern on his face.

The other three rangers ran up, concern for Jason clearly on their faces.

Jason moved his arms from his side, fighting against the pain as the others reached him. He grit his teeth and forced himself to his feet, feeling Zack and Billy grab his arms to help steady him.

Before any of them could say anything, Jason's communicator beeped. Jason slowly lifted his arm, bringing the communicator to his mouth. "Jason here, Zordon," he said, wincing as his ribs continued to send waves of pain through him.

"Jason," Zordon's voice came through the communicator. "You and the other rangers must teleport to the command center right away. There is a new ranger we want you to meet."

"We're on our way, Zordon," Jason said, looking at the others as he lowered his arm. "Whoever this is, we will not hold it against them for accepting the powers," he said. "Zordon chose this person for a reason and we will need to make whoever it is feel welcome to the team."

The others nodded in silent agreement as Jason lifted his communicator. He pushed the button to teleport to the command center, Billy and Zack going with him as they still had steadying hands on his arms.

Kim and Trini were right behind Jason, pushing the buttons on their communicator to teleport to the command center as well.

A/N: Next chapter up as soon as I can. Sorry for the long wait with this one. Hope you liked it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own the power rangers.

A/N: This one picks up right where the other left off. Hope you like it.

Zedd looked at Goldar as he arrived back in the moon palace. "What did you find out, Goldar," he asked.

Goldar bowed to Zedd. "Jason is hurt, my lord," he said. "He has bruises on his face and he was favoring his left side. He tried to fight off the pain, but I could tell it was hurting him a great deal."

Zedd turned back around to look at the earth. "This could be something we could use," he said. "Leave me while I come up with a plan to use Jason's injuries against the rangers."

Goldar bowed and left the throne room.

The rangers arrived in the command center, looking up to Zordon as they did so.

Jason shifted his arms, making Billy and Zack let go as he moved over to the control panels and leaned against the counter. He looked up at Zordon, trying to hide the pain he was feeling from the others. "What is going on, Zordon," he asked. "Who is the new ranger? When do we get to meet this person?"

Zordon smiled down at the rangers, and then looked past them. "He is coming now," he said.

The rangers turned to see a figure in a white outfit floating down from the ceiling. The figure was all in white from his neck to his feet. His gold helmet caught the lights in the command center, sparkling in them. He had a gold shield around his chest and back, gold trim around the tops of his boots and his gloves. He lowered his arms to his sides as his feet touched the floor of the command center.

Zordon smiled down at the rangers as the white ranger lifted his hands to remove his helmet. "Rangers," he said. "I want to present the white tiger ranger to you."

The white ranger removed his helmet, slowly lowering it to smile at his friends. "Hi guys," Tommy said.

Broad grins came to the faces of the five rangers, relief filling them as they looked at Tommy standing before them.

"Tommy," Kim whispered, her eyes shining brightly. She rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad it's you."

Tommy wrapped his arms around Kim, pulling her closely to him. "Hi, Beautiful," he said softly. "I missed you."

Kim pulled back to smile up at Tommy as Billy, Zack and Trini came over to greet Tommy.

Tommy smiled at the others, shaking hands with Billy and Zack and giving Trini a small hug.

"Welcome back, Tommy," Billy said. "It's great to see you."

"This is awesome, man," Zack said.

Trini just smiled at Tommy, her eyes showing the pleasure she felt at seeing her friend again.

Jason stayed near the computer consoles, watching his friends welcome Tommy back to the team. He crossed his arms, quietly pressing his right hand against his throbbing ribs. He watched Kim closely, seeing the happiness in her eyes, on her face and felt his heart send a flash of pain through him. He fought down the feelings, smiling as Tommy turned to him. "Welcome back, bro," Jason said as Tommy walked over to him.

Tommy smiled broadly at Jason, setting his helmet down on the counter beside his friend. "It's good to be back, Jase," he said, his smile fading slightly as he saw the bruises on Jason's face. Tommy studied his friend, seeing the pain in his eyes that he was obviously trying to hide from the others and his smiled changed into a frown of concern. He looked at the stiff way Jason was standing and noticed how his right hand was pressed firmly against his left ribs. "What's wrong, Jason," he asked softly as the others slowly walked over to them.

Before Jason could answer him, Zordon looked down at the rangers.

"So, rangers," Zordon said. "I take it you are all pleased with the new leader of the team?"

There was silence for a few seconds as the group of teens listened to Zordon's unexpected announcement.

Jason looked at Tommy, seeing the obvious shock and surprise on his face. He glanced at the others, seeing their shock as well and looked back to Tommy. He knew his response to Zordon's announcement would either make the team stronger or break them apart. He smiled at Tommy, reaching out and putting his left hand on Tommy's shoulder. "It's great to have you back, Tommy," he said quietly, meaning every word. "I know you'll make a great leader."

Tommy looked at Jason, relaxing, as his friend seemed to accept Zordon's decision, but not feeling very good about it. He managed to smile at Jason, respecting his friend even more for not holding this against him. "Thanks, Jason," he said, raising his left hand to place it on Jason's shoulder. "I appreciate that."

Billy, Kim, Trini and Zack seemed to physically relax at the quiet exchange between Tommy and Jason. They smiled broadly, congratulating Tommy quietly.

Jason removed his hand from Tommy's shoulder, shifting his position against the counter. He gasped as fiery pain shot up from his ribs.

Tommy shot out his hand, grabbing Jason's left arm and keeping him from falling to his knees.

Zack moved quickly, grabbing Jason's right arm and helping Tommy to keep Jason on his feet.

Zordon looked down at them, concern filling him as he saw the pain on Jason's face. He looked down at the other rangers. "Billy, Trini," Zordon ordered. "Get a medical bed from the back. Alpha, get a scanner and check Jason's injuries."

Billy and Trini ran towards the back room as Alpha picked up a scanner and moved towards Jason.

Kim stood back, watching Jason with deep concern in her eyes. She realized that Jason had been trying to hide his pain from them, not wanting to draw attention away from Tommy's return. She stepped back as Tommy and Zack helped Jason over to the medical bed, watching her friend grimace in pain as he lay back on the bed. Kim moved to his side, grabbing his right hand as Tommy and Zack moved back to let Alpha work.

Alpha ran the scanner over Jason, concentrating on his left side.

Jason lay there, trying to relax as Alpha checked his ribs. He glanced over at Kim, seeing the worry in her eyes and managed to give her a small smile. "I'll be okay," he said softly. "Stop worrying."

Kim managed to give him a small smile, gripping his hand a little tighter. "You just lie still and let Alpha work," she ordered. "And don't tell me not to worry. You are my best friend, Jason. I'll always worry about you."

Before Jason could respond, the alarms in the command center started going off.

Kim looked down at Jason as the others turned to look at the viewing globe.

Jason nodded at her. "Go," he said. "They'll need you."

Kim gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand before going over to join the others.

Zordon looked down at the rangers as a monster appeared in Angel Grove Park. "Zedd has sent a new monster to attack the city," he said. "You will have to get to the park and stop it."

Tommy nodded, glancing over his shoulder to look at Jason briefly. He turned back to the others. "All right guys," he said. "It's morphin' time!"

Trini, Billy, Zack and Kim moved to stand behind Tommy, pulling their morphers from behind their backs.

"White Tiger!"

"Mastadon!"

"Teradactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-tooth Tiger!"

Jason lay on the medical bed, listening to his friends morph and teleport out of the command center. He let a little sigh escape his lips and closed his eyes, trying to relax as Alpha hooked him up to a machine to try to heal his ribs.

Alpha turned on the machine, making sure that Jason was comfortable, and then turned and walked over to Zordon. "His ribs are bruised, Zordon," he said. "But, he should be all right once the machine does its job."

Zordon nodded, looking over to Jason and then back to Alpha. "Thank you, Alpha," he said. "How long will it take?"

"Just about half an hour, Zordon," Alpha said. He turned away from Zordon, going back over to make sure that Jason was not in any great pain.

Zordon turned his attention to the viewing globe, watching his rangers fight Zedd's latest monster, not wanting Jason to see his concern.

Michael Scott walked into the police station, wanting to do some paperwork while he had the chance.

Chief Smith came to the door of his office, looking at Michael as he headed for his desk. "Scott," he said. "I need to see you in my office."

Michael nodded, setting his hat down on his desk and heading for Smith's office.

Smith looked up from his desk as Michael entered the office. "Close the door and have a seat, Scott," he said.

Michael closed the door, making his way over to the chair in front of his chief's desk. He looked at the grim expression on Smith's face and a bad feeling came over him. "What's wrong, chief," he asked.

Smith looked at Michael, not liking what he was about to tell his best officer. "We just got a call from the hospital, Mike," he said. "Derek Thompson was removed from life support earlier this afternoon. He passed away just a little while ago."

Michael sat back in his chair, shock running through him. He looked at his boss. "Does anyone else know about this," he asked softly.

"Only the DA," Smith said. "He's all ready upped the charges against the three boys to involuntary manslaughter. He's contacting their attorneys as we speak."

Michael shook his head, unable to say anything at the moment. His mind went to his son and he looked up at Smith. "Chief," he said. "Would it be all right if I head for the youth center? My son Jason is there with his friends. He was really close to Derek Thompson and I don't want him to hear this from someone else."

Chief Smith sat back in his chair, thinking this over before responding. He looked at Michael and slowly nodded. "All right, Mike," he said. "Go take care of that. In fact, take the rest of the shift off, your son might need you right now. Let me know if you need tomorrow off as well."

Michael came to his feet, smiling at Smith. "Thanks, chief," he said. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything." He headed out the door, hurrying to his car so that he could get to the youth center.

Zedd stood in the throne room on the moon palace, watching the rangers as they fought his monster. He studied the white ranger, sensing that something was familiar about him, but not able to place him. "Finster," he yelled as he continued to watch the fight.

Finster ran into the throne room, bowing to Zedd. "Yes, my lord," he said. "What can I do for you?"

Zedd turned to Finster, anger filling him as the rangers seemed to be winning. "Find out who the new ranger is," Zedd ordered. "I want to know everything about him."

Finster nodded, getting up and hurrying from the throne room without saying a word.

Zedd turned his attention back to the fight, his body glowing red with anger as the rangers slowly took control of the fight. He looked closer and his anger began to fade as he noticed that the red ranger was absent from the fight. He actually began to chuckle evilly as he noticed the white ranger seemed to be leading the fight. An idea began to form in his mind, one that would take some time and careful planning if he was to pull it off. He turned back around as Finster came back into the throne room.

Finster bowed to Zedd. "It would seem that Tommy has returned, my lord," he said. "According to the scan I made, he now has these new powers. What's more, they were created by Zordon and cannot be stolen from him. Nor can these powers be corrupted."

Zedd turned back to the fight, watching with surprising calmness as the rangers defeated his monster. He turned back to Finster as the rangers teleported back to the command center. "Forget about Tommy," he said. "I have another plan in mind for the rangers." He walked over to Finster, an evil chuckle coming from him. "I want you to find out everything you can about the red ranger," he ordered. "I want every detail you can come up with on him, everything no matter how trivial it may seem, understand?"

Finster looked at him in puzzlement, but did not argue with him. He bowed to Zedd once more. "As you wish, my lord," he said. "I will do as you ask." He turned and left the throne room, feeling puzzled and confused by Zedd's request.

Zedd turned back to the earth, chuckling once again. "Enjoy the victory while you can, rangers," he said, watching earth through his visor. "If my plan works, your time as heroes will not last much longer." He turned away from the earth and stalked out of the throne room, wanting to set his plan in motion as soon as possible.

Jason sat at their table in the youth center, feeling better physically than he had in a few days. Alpha had healed him in time for him to watch his friends defeat Zedd's monster. He had joined them as Zordon told them that Rita's space capsule had been the thing that landed in the park, and Bulk and Skull had been the ones to find it. They had gotten to Bulk's garage in time to prevent Rita from getting too far and had placed her back in the capsule.

Zordon had had Alpha send Rita away once more, removing that worry from them. Then he had told the rangers to return to the youth center, wanting them to relax after their trying day.

Jason now sat back and listened to the others tell Tommy about his fight with Gary, Todd and Will.

Tommy looked at Jason as Zack finished telling him about the fight. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as he saw someone enter the youth center over Jason's shoulder. He looked at Jason. "Your dad just walked in, Jase," he said quietly.

Jason turned, seeing his father searching the room for him. He looked back to the others as he stood up. "I'll be back, guys," he said, leaving the table and walking over to his father.

Michael saw Jason heading for him and took a deep breath, not looking forward to what he had to say to his son.

Jason saw the look in Michael's eyes and knew right away that something was wrong. He stopped a few feet from his father, taking a deep breath before speaking. "What's wrong, dad," he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Michael put his hand on Jason's shoulder, hesitating before speaking.

Jason felt the uneasy feeling grow and met his father's gaze. "Dad," he said his voice soft. "What is it?"

"It's Derek, Jason," Michael said softly, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm sorry, son. They removed him from the life support earlier this afternoon. He passed away a little over an hour ago."

Jason took a step back, looking at his father in disbelief and shaking his head. "No," he whispered. "No, dad. There has to be some mistake. He's only twelve, he can't be dead."

Michael gripped Jason's shoulders, keeping him from moving back anymore. "I'm sorry, Jason," he said. "I wish it wasn't true, but it is. He's gone, son."

Jason stood in stony silence, his emotions churning inside of him. A slow anger began to build in him, as the events of the past few days seemed to come rushing at him in waves. He shrugged his dad's hands off his shoulders and pushed past Michael, needing to get out of the youth center and away from everyone.

Michael turned quickly, grabbing Jason's arm before he could leave. "Jason, wait," he said.

Jason turned on his father, the emotions in his eyes stopping Michael from saying anything else. "Not now, dad," he said his voice low and hard. "Just leave me alone." He jerked his arm free and stormed from the youth center.

Michael felt his own emotions churning as he watched his son leave the youth center. He started to go after him, but stopped as he heard a voice behind him. He turned to see Jason's friends standing behind him.

"What's wrong, Mr. Scott," Billy asked him. "Why did Jason just leave?"

Michael took a deep breath, looking at his son's friends. "Maybe we should sit down," he said, glancing over his shoulder towards the doors. He looked back to Jason's friends. "The news is not good."

A/N: Next chapter up as soon as I can. Let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. You know that, right?

Jason slowly walked through the park, heading for the lake as memories from the past few weeks rushed at him from every direction.

"_You cannot defeat me, Red Ranger. You will never get the green candle and Tommy will lose his powers. All because you were too weak to win this fight."_

"_I have to go, Jason. I need time to adjust to not having the powers anymore."_

"_Look who's here boys. The dummy."_

"_I got a letter from Tommy yesterday. He's coming home. He'll be here by the end of the week."_

_Michael Scott looked down at his son, anger clearly on his face._

"_Say something, mom. Yell, whatever, just say something."_

"_What do you want me to say, Jason?"_

"_Whoever this is, we will not hold it against them for accepting the powers. Zordon chose this person for a reason and we will need to make whoever it is feel welcome to the team."_

"_So, rangers. I take it you are pleased with the new leader of the team?"_

Jason came to the lake and sat down on a nearby rock, his emotions running out of control. He pulled his knees up to his chest wrapping his arms around them as more memories came rushing at him.

"_Thank you, Jason. If you hadn't stepped in, Derek would be dead now."_

"_It's Derek, Jason. I'm sorry son. They removed him from the life support earlier this afternoon. He passed away a little over an hour ago."_

"_I'm sorry, Jason. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. He's gone, son."_

Jason hugged his knees tighter to his chest as his emotions overwhelmed him. Silent tears streamed down his face as he sat there, watching the calm waters of the lake.

The rangers sat in shocked silence, looking at Michael as if they could not believe their ears. They could not believe that Derek was dead.

Kim leaned against Tommy, tears in her eyes as she thought of how Jason must be feeling right now.

Trini covered her mouth with her hands, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

Billy and Zack sat in shocked silence, wondering where Jason could be and what they could do to help their friend.

Tommy put his arm around Kim's shoulders, looking at the others. "We need to find Jason," he said. "Any idea where he would go?"

Billy looked at Tommy, shaking his head. "That's not a good idea, Tommy," he said softly. "I don't think Jason wants to be around anyone at the moment, otherwise he wouldn't have left like he did."

Zack nodded his agreement with Billy. "I want to help him through this as much as you do, Tommy," he said. "But, if I know Jason, he won't talk to anyone right now. We need to just back off and give him some space."

Tommy looked at the others, shaking his head. "Keeping it inside won't help him," he said.

Kim moved slightly away from Tommy, turning to meet his gaze. "Listen to them, Tommy," she urged quietly. "You know Jason. He won't talk to any of us until he is ready. Let him deal with all of it first. Going after him now will just make him angry."

Tommy sat back in his chair, letting his breath out slowly. He wanted to go after Jason, find him and make sure that his best friend was all right. He looked at the others and reluctantly agreed with them. "All right," he said. He looked at Michael. "You'll let us know if he needs us, right?"

Michael nodded at him, coming to his feet. "I will," he said. "I'm heading for home. If Jason comes back here, tell him that's where I'll be." He turned and headed out of the youth center.

Alpha turned to look up at Zordon. "What can we do, Zordon," he asked. "Should we teleport Jason here to the command center?"

Zordon shook his head without looking at Alpha, his full attention on Jason's image in the viewing globe. "No, Alpha," he said. "Jason needs to work through this one on his own."

Alpha let out a robotic sigh and turned his attention back to the viewing globe, not liking the fact that he could do nothing to help his human friend.

Zordon looked at Jason's image, concern in his eyes. He wished he had been able to explain things to Jason before they created the powers for Tommy, but there had not been time. Zedd had been looking for Tommy and Zordon knew he had to move quickly to keep the teen from falling into Zedd's clutches. He also regretted that he had not warned Jason ahead of time about making Tommy the new leader of the rangers. He did not do it to spite Jason, but knew that he should offer an explanation to the teen. However, as he watched Jason trying to deal with his emotions, he knew that now was not the time to explain things to him. He just hoped that Jason would listen when the right time arrived.

Jason sat by the lake, no longer crying but still hugging his knees to his chest as a sense of failure slowly came over him. _I couldn't save him_, he thought. _I tried, but he died anyway. I'm not even good enough to lead the rangers anymore. I'm surprised that Zordon is still letting me stay on the team. _Jason let his breath out in a long sigh, the sense of failure hanging over him like a dark cloud as fresh tears came to his eyes.

Tommy looked at Kim as he walked her to her door. "I wish I knew how Jason was," he said as they climbed the steps to her porch. "I just feel that we should be doing something to help him, not just sitting around being totally useless."

Kim turned to him, putting her hand on his arm. "This isn't any easier for me, Tommy," she said softly. "I've known Jason a lot longer than you. Trust me when I say that, unless he comes to one of us to talk, there is nothing we could say that will make a difference in how he is feeling. We have to let him work this out on his own."

Tommy looked down at her, shaking his head. "Kim," he said. "I just replaced him as the leader of the team. Now, Derek died, even after Jason tried his best to save him. Jason can't handle this all alone. He's going to need us to help him deal with all of this."

"I know that, Tommy," Kim said, her quiet voice showing her own frustration at the situation. "But, Jason has never been one to let his emotions show to a great extent. He's always been the strong one, for all of us. He won't let us see how much he is hurting from this, no matter what we say or do. The only thing we can do right now is let him know that we're there if he needs us. If we do anything else, he'll just turn his back on us."

Tommy sighed heavily, pulling Kim into a hug. "I just feel so helpless," he said. "I'm not used to just sitting back and letting things happen. I need to do something to make sure Jason is okay."

Kim wrapped her arms around Tommy's waist, resting her head against his chest. "I know," she said, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as she clung to him. "But, we have to be patient. That's all we can do right now."

Jason sat by the lake, not paying attention to the time, as he tried to calm down and get his emotions under control. He glanced up to see the sun setting and realized he should get home, before his parents had to come looking for him. He let his breath out in a long sigh, getting to his feet and turning from the lake. He made his way through the park, leaving it and heading for his home.

Michael and Karen were in the kitchen when they heard Jason come into the house. They looked at each other and then silently headed out into the hallway.

Jason looked up after closing the door, seeing his parents come out of the kitchen.

Michael studied Jason's face, seeing the sadness in his eyes. He slowly walked over to his son, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay," he asked. "We were starting to get a little worried."

"I'm sorry," Jason said softly. "I lost track of time. I didn't mean to make you worry." He felt tears come to his eyes as he thought of Derek. "I couldn't save him, dad," he whispered. "I tried, but I couldn't."

Michael pulled Jason into a hug, feeling his son's arms go around him in a tight hug. "You did everything you possibly could, Jason," he whispered. "This is not your fault, son. You didn't beat him, you went after the boys who did. No one is going to blame you for this."

Jason clung to his father, the tears coming harder at Michael's words. He didn't say anymore, just cried silently in his father's arms.

Karen moved forward, wrapping her arms around her husband and son as tears came to her eyes as well.

The three of them stood there for a long time, Michael and Karen giving what comfort to their son that they could without saying a word.

Zedd walked into Finster's lab, looking at the little alien as he sat at his worktable. "Have you gotten all of the information on Jason," Zedd asked.

Finster looked up from his table, bowing slightly at the waist. "I just finished gathering it, my lord," he said. "I have every detail of the red ranger's life written down for you. Some of it is quite interesting."

Zedd took the sheets of paper from Finster, glancing briefly at some of the writing. He looked back at Finster, nodding in approval. "Well done, Finster," he said. "Now, I need you to do something else for me." He paused, his visor glowing with red light. "I need a place to keep Jason, once I get my hands on him. One that the rangers will not be able to find and totally unknown to Zordon. Can you do that for me?"

"It will take a couple of days, sire," Finster said. "But, I will find such a place for you."

Zedd nodded, gripping the papers and turning from the lab. "Let me know when you have found it," he ordered as he left the lab.

Finster watched him walk out of the lab, wondering just what Zedd had in mind for the red ranger. He began looking at all his information on the dark dimensions Rita had created, trying to find the perfect one for his master.

Zedd walked back into the throne room, looking over the papers in his hands as he sat down on his throne. He read all of the information on Jason, every little detail of his life written down for Zedd to see. After a little more than an hour, Zedd set the papers aside, feeling like he knew the red ranger better than ever. He stood up and walked over to his balcony, his visor glowing as he sought out Jason on earth.

Jason climbed into his bed, exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the day. He pulled the covers over himself, laying back and trying to relax enough to get to sleep. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

Zedd's visor glowed a deeper red as he found Jason, sound asleep in his bed. He lifted his staff, sending a short beam of light down to earth, watching through his visor as the light entered Jason's bedroom and changed into a black mist. Zedd watched the mist descend on the sleeping teen, completely covering him from head to toe. He waited until the mist had settled to hover just over the sleeping teen, then he turned to walk over to Rita's old globe. He lifted his hands over the globe, watching as Jason's image appeared in it. "Time to begin," he said softly, holding his hands over the globe as they began to glow with a red light.

_Jason looked around the dark dimension, hearing Goldar but not seeing him. He saw the green candle across the way and headed for it. Before he could reach it, putties appeared, surrounding him and grabbing a hold of him._

_Goldar suddenly appeared in front of Jason, giving him a snarling smile. "You lose, red ranger," he said, holding the candle in front of Jason as the last bit of it burned down._

_Jason struggled in the grips of the putties, unable to break free as Goldar stepped back, crushing the last of the green wax in his hand. He struggled harder as Tommy suddenly appeared in the dimension, five putties holding him as well._

_Goldar sneered at Jason, raising his sword and stalking towards Tommy. Goldar looked at Jason over his shoulder, drawing back his sword as he did so. "You lose everything, Jason," he said and thrust his sword forward._

"_NO!" The word tore from Jason as Goldar thrust his sword into Tommy, laughing evilly as Tommy let out an agonized croak and fell to the floor of the dimension. _

_Goldar looked at the putties holding Jason. "Take him and the green ranger's body back to earth," he said. "Let the other rangers see just how much a failure the red ranger is."_

_Jason continued to struggle as the putties did as Goldar ordered._

Jason stirred in his sleep, wanting to wake up from the nightmare. He rolled over to his side, but the mist held him in a firm grip, not letting him wake up.

Zedd let out a little laugh as he watched Jason trying to wake up. "Not yet, my little ranger," he said with glee. "One nightmare is not enough to break your will. You need to suffer a little more before I let you wake up."

_Jason stood in the clearing, hands holding him back as he was forced to watch Derek collapse onto the ground from the beating. He struggled harder as Gary walked over to Jason, smiling cruelly at him._

"_I told you, Jason," Gary said snidely. "I always win. Now, you get to live with the guilt of knowing you could have stopped me, but didn't. Derek is going to die and it's all your fault."_

_Jason tried to lunge at Gary, but the hands holding him were strong and kept him back. _

_Gary laughed, reaching out and grabbing Jason's chin as he forced the younger boy to look at him. "Angel Grove's martial arts hero," Gary said, almost spitting the words in Jason's face. "Not such a big hero now, are you Jason? You knew I was after Derek, but you failed to stop me. Now, he's dead, all because you failed to protect him."_

Zedd laughed loudly as Jason vainly tried to wake up from the dreams. "Patience, Jason," he said. "There is still one more dream to come." His hands began to glow brighter as he held them closer to the globe, watching the red ranger as he tossed on his bed.

_Jason was with the other rangers, fighting one of Zedd's monsters in the park. He turned as he heard a scream of pain, looking towards Kim and seeing her fall to the ground with blood on the front of her ranger outfit._

_Putties surrounded the red ranger, grabbing onto him and holding him back as he tried to move towards the pink ranger._

_Jason struggled in their hold as the white ranger made his way over to Kim, kneeling at her side._

_Tommy removed Kim's helmet, staring in shock as her lifeless eyes met his. He cradled the pink ranger to him, grief filling him as he looked up to the red ranger. "You were supposed to protect her, Jason," he said, anger and pain in his voice. "That was all I asked you to do during this battle, protect Kim. How could you let yourself get distracted? How could you let her die?"_

_Jason felt the putties release him and he slowly walked over to Tommy, shaking his head. He looked at Tommy as the white ranger lowered Kim's body to the ground and stood up to face him. "Tommy, I.."_

_Tommy swung his fist, hitting Jason powerfully in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Tommy moved to stand over Jason, removing his helmet to glare down at the red ranger. "I'm going to make sure that Zordon removes you from the team, Jason," he spat. "You are no longer worthy of keeping the powers. I never want to see you again."_

Zedd removed his hands from the globe, letting the red glow die down from them. He snapped his fingers and watched as the dark mist floated away from Jason's body. He began to laugh as he watched Jason snap awake and sit up in his bed, sweat running down his bare chest. "It has begun, red ranger," he said softly. "Very soon, you will have no strength to resist me and then I will make you mine." He turned from the viewing globe and left the throne room, content with how his plan had begun.

Jason sat on his bed, sweat pouring down his body and his breathing heavy. He ran a shaky hand over his face, trying to fight down the feelings the nightmares had left on him. He pushed the covers off him and got out of the bed, heading for the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face, feeling himself trembling slightly from the nightmares. He stepped back from the sink, grabbing a towel and drying his face as he forced himself to calm down. He hung the towel up and headed out of the bathroom, going back to his room and climbing back into the bed. He lay back, pulling the covers over himself, but it was a long while before he was calm enough to get back to sleep.

A/N: Let me know what you think. Next one up soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. I never did and never will. That sucks.

A/N: I cannot thank all of my reviewers enough. You all are fantastic. Thank you so much for the encouragement and positive comments. It's because of all of you that I'm able to keep writing my stories. I love you guys! Hope you like this one as well.

Sunday morning, Steve Thompson walked out of his room after getting dressed for the day. He stopped as he came to the door of Derek's room, and slowly pushed the door open. He entered the room and went to sit on the bed, looking around at the pictures and drawings that Derek had all over the walls. He sat on the bed, locking his eyes on a picture of Derek and himself when they went to the nearby water park. He stood up and walked over to it, lifting it off the dresser to stare at it.

Debbie Thompson stood in the doorway of Derek's room, watching Steve as he stared at the picture. She turned away without him knowing that she had been there. She walked into the living room as a knock sounded on the front door. Debbie walked over to the door, opening it to find Jason standing there. "Jason," she said, giving him a small smile. "Please come in." She opened the door wider and let him into the house.

Jason turned to Debbie as she closed the door behind him. "How are you doing, Mrs. Thompson," he asked softly.

Debbie looked at Jason, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know," she said. "One minute I'm okay, then the next, I'm crying my heart out. How are you?"

Jason gave her a little shrug. "I'm not sure," he answered. He let his breath out in a long sigh. "I came to see how Steve is doing. Is he home?"

Debbie nodded and pointed down the hallway. "He's in Derek's room," she said softly. "It's the first door on the left. I really think he could use a friend right now."

"Thanks," Jason said, giving her a small smile. He headed down the hall, pausing in the doorway to Derek's room. He looked into the room, seeing Steve standing near the dresser, staring at the picture.

Steve set the picture down and turned from the dresser at the soft knock on the door. "Jason," he said in surprise. He walked towards Jason as he entered the room. "How are you doing?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Jason said. "How are you doing?"

Steve shook his head, going over to the bed and sitting on the side of it. "Not good," he said, looking at Jason as he joined him on the bed. "I miss him, Jason. I miss the way he would come bursting into my room, wanting me to take him to the park or the youth center. I miss being able to take him to his martial arts class." Tears came to his eyes as he looked towards the window. "I miss just hearing his voice." He turned back to look at Jason, reaching out and putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. "I miss hearing him talk constantly about you," he said, giving Jason a small smile through his tears. "He thought you were the greatest guy in the world."

Jason looked at Steve in surprise, tears coming to his eyes as well. "That's funny," he said softly. "Every time Derek was around me, all I heard about was how great you were. He always talked about you, Steve. He was so proud to have you as a brother." Jason got off the bed and walked over to look out the window. "He even told me that you and I should become friends," he said, looking out at the clear blue sky.

Steve got off the bed and walked over to stand beside Jason, looking out the window as well. "I'd like that," he said. "I think having you as a friend would be a way to keep Derek's memory alive. I mean, my other friends liked Derek and never made fun of him, but they didn't know him like you do."

Jason turned to look at Steve, giving him a small smile. "I'd like that as well," he said. "Although, you may change your mind once you really get to know me."

Steve let out a little laugh. "I'm willing to take the chance if you are," he said.

Jason smiled a little more. "Why not," he said. "I all ready feel like I know you, because of Derek. I'd like to get to know you better."

"Same here," Steve said. He turned from the window and walked over to the dresser, picking up a picture and bringing it over to Jason. "I want you to have this, Jason," he said. "I think Derek would have liked for you to keep it as well."

Jason looked at the picture, a small smile coming to his face. The picture was taken in the youth center, Jason kneeling beside Derek with his arm around the young boy's shoulders. Both of them were smiling widely at the camera, dressed in their martial arts outfits. Jason looked back at Steve. "Thanks," he said. "I'll keep it always."

Both boys looked at the door as there was a soft knock on it.

Debbie smiled at the two of them. "I was just going to make some sandwiches," she said. "Jason would you like to stay for lunch?"

"I don't want to be any trouble," Jason said.

Debbie shook her head. "You wouldn't be," she said. "What do you say? I make a mean roast beef with hot peppers and everything."

Steve grinned at Jason. "Mom's roast beef is the best, Jason," he said.

Jason smiled at Debbie. "As long as it's no trouble," he said. "Thank you."

Michael Scott opened the door to his house, smiling at Tommy and Kim who stood on the front porch. "Hi, Tommy, Kim," he said. "Jason's not here, but you can come in and wait for him if you like." He stood to the side, letting the two teens into the house.

Tommy looked at Michael as he closed the door. "We don't want to intrude, Mr. Scott," he said. "We just had to come by and see if Jason was all right. Did he make it home okay?"

"He did," Michael said. "Why don't you two come into the kitchen? Karen made some fresh lemonade and iced tea before she went to work. Jason should be home in a few minutes. You can wait for him in there."

Tommy and Kim exchanged glances, then followed Michael into the kitchen.

Kim looked at Michael as she sat down at the table. "Did Jason go to the youth center," she asked.

Michael pulled the lemonade from the refrigerator, shaking his head as he closed it and got some glasses out of the cupboard. "No," he said. "He went over to the Thompson's house. He wanted to see how Steve was doing." He looked at the two teens as he handed them the glasses of lemonade. "I take it he didn't stop at the youth center before coming home," he said.

Tommy shook his head, taking a sip of his lemonade. "No, he didn't," he said. "I've been worried about him all night. I just wanted to make sure that he's doing all right."

Michael sat down at the table with them, sipping at his lemonade. "He's okay," he said. "He had a rough time last night when he got home, but this morning he was doing better."

Kim looked at Michael. "He's blaming himself for Derek dying," she said softly. "Isn't he?"

Michael met Kim's gaze and nodded slightly. He sighed heavily. "He is," he said. "I tried to convince him last night that it wasn't his fault, but he just seemed to cry harder after I told him that. He feels like he should have done more to prevent this from happening in the first place."

"Is that why he went over to the Thompson's," Tommy asked. "To see if they blamed him for this?"

Michael hesitated before answering Tommy's question, then nodded. "I think so," he said. "But, then again, he doesn't tell me everything that is going on inside of him. He never has and I've never pushed him to do that. That's just the type of person he is, not wanting to bother anyone with his problems."

Kim sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. "But, he doesn't have to be that way," she said. "This is so frustrating for me, Mr. Scott. Jason has always been there for me when I needed him. When my parents were going through the divorce, Jason was my rock. I always knew that I could come to him when I just needed a shoulder to lean on and he was there, strong and steady. Why won't he let me be that for him now?"

"I don't know, Kim," Michael said. "But, don't push him to show you what he is feeling. You and I both know that he'll just close himself off further if you do that. He needs to let it out in his own time and _only_ when he is ready. He may never do that in front of all of you, even though he knows none of you would hold it against him. He's been that way all of his life and I don't think he's going to change now."

"I know," Kim sighed. "But, it's so hard for me to just sit back and not help him in some way when I know he's in pain. I feel like I'm not as good a friend to him as he has always been to me."

"Yes you are, Kim," Jason's voice said softly from the doorway.

The three people at the table looked up in surprise, seeing Jason standing in the doorway to the kitchen. None of them had heard him come into the house.

Michael got up from the table, walking over to his son. "Are you hungry, Jason," he asked.

Jason looked at his dad, shaking his head. "Mrs. Thompson made lunch for all of us," he said. "I didn't want to intrude, but she insisted I stay." He looked past Michael at Kim and Tommy, then looked back to his dad. "I'd like to talk to Kim and Tommy alone, dad," he said. "Do you mind?"

Michael put his hand on Jason's shoulder, looking into his son's eyes. "I don't mind," he said. He hesitated before leaving the room. "They came here because they were worried about you, Jason," he said quietly. "They wanted to make sure you were okay. Just keep that in mind, son." Michael left the room before Jason could say anything.

Jason walked over to the counter and poured himself a glass of lemonade before going over to the table and sitting down.

Tommy looked at Jason, letting his breath out slowly. "I'm sorry, Jason," he said. "When you didn't come back to the youth center, I got worried. I wanted to come over here last night, but Kim convinced me to wait until today. If we're intruding, we didn't mean to."

Jason looked at Tommy in surprise, then shook his head. "You're not intruding, Tommy," he said. "I know you're just being a good friend. It's okay."

Kim looked at Jason, reaching over and putting a gentle hand on his arm. She gave him a small smile as his eyes met hers. "Are you okay," she asked.

Jason shrugged, looking away from her before answering. "I don't know," he said. He looked back at her, seeing the concern in her eyes. He managed to give her a small smile. "Just let me work through this, okay," he asked. "I know you want to help and I appreciate it. Letting me work through it on my own is the best way you could help me, okay?"

Kim shook her head at him, removing her hand from his arm and sitting back. "You know, Jason," she said, a touch of anger in her voice. "You don't always have to be the strong one. You could lean on one of us occasionally. It wouldn't hurt you, you know."

Jason let out a little laugh, getting up from the table and going over to the window. "I'm not as strong as you think, Kim," he said, looking out the window.

Tommy got up from the table, walking over to Jason and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jason, no one I know is stronger than you," he said quietly. "You are the rock everyone leans on when times get rough. I've never seen anyone who has the type of quiet strength and support that you possess." He gently turned Jason to face him. "But, even the biggest, strongest rock needs some support. The elements begin to wear it down and it loses its strength, bit by bit. I don't want to see that happen to you. We'll be here for you, if you just let us."

Jason looked down at the floor, letting his breath out slowly, before looking up to meet Tommy's gaze. "I know that," he said softly. "And I'm grateful to have friends like you. However, right now, I can't talk about what I'm feeling, or why. I just need to work on this by myself. All I'm asking is that you give me a little space and let me figure out just what I need from you or anyone else. Can you give me that?"

Tommy removed his hand from Jason's shoulder, taking a step back as he nodded at him. "All right," he said, "but only on the understanding that, if you need us you won't hesitate to call us. Deal?"

Jason managed to give Tommy a small smile. "Deal," he said.

Tommy smiled at Jason, then walked over to Kim. "I think we should go," he said. "I have a lot of school work to finish before tomorrow. I don't want to fall behind the rest of you in my classes."

Kim stood up, slipping her arm around his waist as she smiled up at him. "I'll come with you and help you study," she said. She looked at Jason, giving him a smile. "We'll see you in school tomorrow, right?"

Jason nodded. "I'll be there," he said.

Kim nodded, then looked up at Tommy. "Come on, handsome," she said. "Let's go to your house and crack those books."

Tommy smiled at her, then looked at Jason. "See you tomorrow, bro," he said. He put his arm around Kim's shoulders and steered her towards the door. The two of them exited the kitchen, their arms wrapped around each other.

Jason turned back to the window after they had left the kitchen. He let his breath out slowly, as images from his dreams the night before flashed into his mind. Jason closed his eyes, shaking his head as he tried to erase the images. _They were just nightmares, Jason_, he told himself. _Don't let them start to control your life._

Zedd stood on his balcony, watching Jason through his visor as Tommy and Kim left the red ranger's house. He stood in complete silence, watching the red ranger until he turned away from the window and left the kitchen. Zedd turned away from the earth, going over to the papers he had on Jason and shuffling through them. He came to a certain paper and read over the information once again. He let out a little laugh as he set the paper down. "Perfect," he said. "Enjoy the rest of your day, red ranger," he said, looking briefly back to earth. "Tonight, we'll see how you handle more of my special dreams." He turned and left the throne room.

Tommy opened his door to see Billy, Trini and Zack standing on the front porch. He opened the door wider, letting them into the house. "Thanks for coming over, guys," he said, closing the door behind them. "Kim's in the living room. Go on in and have a seat. We need to talk."

Kim smiled at the others as they entered the living room and found seats.

Tommy came into the room and joined Kim on the couch. He looked at Billy, Trini and Zack, his face showing that he was clearly upset. "Kim and I went to see Jason today," he said.

Trini looked at the two of them, concern clearly on her face. "How was he," she asked.

Kim looked at Trini and shook her head. "Hiding his feelings," she said. "I could tell that he was hurting but he was trying to hide it. He refused to talk to us about it."

Zack let his breath out in a heavy sigh, sitting back in his chair. "Why would you two do that," he asked. "I thought we decided yesterday to let him come to us first. Now, he may not let any of us in when he needs someone. He may turn to someone else."

"He all ready has," Tommy said. "He went to see Steve Thompson this morning. Mr. Scott told us that Jason is blaming himself for Derek dying, but he didn't show any sign of that to us after he got back from seeing Steve. I think he doesn't want to talk to me because I took his place as leader of the rangers."

Billy looked at Tommy, shaking his head. "I don't think that's it at all, Tommy," he said quietly, causing the others to look at him curiously. Billy looked at the others before continuing. "Think about it," he said. "He went to talk to someone who knew Derek as well as he did. Someone who would be missing him just as much as he is and would understand that. I don't think he did it to spite any of us. I think he needed to be around someone who understood just how he was feeling. He may have also known that Steve needed a friend right then. That's why he went. It wasn't that he was trying to shut us out, he just needed to be with someone who was hurting as much as he was."

Tommy looked thoughtful as he sat back on the couch, thinking about Billy's words. He looked at Billy. "So, you don't think he resents me for taking his spot as the leader," he asked.

Billy shook his head. "Tommy, if he resents anyone, it would be Zordon," he said softly. "He saw the obvious look of surprise on your face. He knew you didn't ask to be made leader of the team. Zordon made that decision without telling anyone. If he's angry about it, it's not directed towards you, trust me on this."

Zack looked at Tommy, sighing heavily before speaking. "What do you want us to do," he asked. "Tell us and we'll do it."

Tommy leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he looked around at the others. "I think we need to keep a close eye on Jason," he said. "I'm worried about him, and not just because I feel he's hiding his feelings from us. He looked like he hadn't slept all that well. We need to keep watch over him, without making it too obvious."

Trini looked at Tommy, not liking the idea of spying on their friend. "I think we should just trust Jason," she said. "Let him work this out. He'll call us if he needs us. Spying on him is not the best thing to do. He's not stupid and he'll figure it out. That will just make him angry."

Zack looked at Trini, shaking his head. "I think that Tommy is right," he said. "We need to keep a close eye on Jason. Especially if Zedd sends down another monster. If he's not sleeping at night, he could lose his focus in a battle and get hurt. We can't let that happen."

Billy and Kim nodded their agreement.

Trini stood up, looking at the others as she shook her head. "I'll help you keep an eye on him in battle," she said. "But that is as far as I will go with this. I will not spy on Jason. I trust him enough to come to us if he needs help." She turned and headed out of the living room. "I'll see you guys in school tomorrow."

Tommy shook his head at Kim as she looked ready to get up and follow Trini. "Let her go," he said. "We'll just have to handle this without her help."

Kim relaxed back into her seat as Tommy looked at the others. "So, we're all in agreement with this, right," he asked. "We keep an eye on Jason, without making it obvious, just to make sure that he'll be all right."

Billy, Zack and Kim all nodded in agreement with him. They knew Jason would be mad at them, if he found out, but they were willing to take that chance to keep their friend safe.

Jason was in a deep sleep as Zedd stood over the globe once more. He lifted his hands over the globe, watching as his dark mist once again settled all around the sleeping teen. Zedd's hands began to glow as he sent a new dream to Jason, watching the teen stir slightly as the images entered his mind.

_Jason looked at his friends as the battle with the putties grew more intense. He was battling six of them, while his friends only had one or two at the most to contend with. Jason felt a putty slam him in the back and he staggered forward, falling to his hands and knees. He heard three putties rush up to him as he shook his head, trying to clear it._

_Two of the putties reached down, grabbing Jason's arms and pulling him to his feet. The third putty stepped up behind Jason, wrapping his arms around Jason's waist and chest, holding him still as one of Zedd's monsters appeared._

_The monster glanced at Jason, seeing the three putties holding him and watching as the other three moved to make sure Jason would not get away._

_Jason stood helplessly as the monster drew a glowing red sword and stalked towards the other rangers. He began to struggle as the monster approached Zack and Trini. "No," he whispered, watching as the monster thrust his sword into the backs of the black and yellow rangers. He struggled harder as two more of the putties knelt down and grabbed his legs, holding him helpless in their tight grips._

_The monster ignored Jason, stalking towards Billy and thrusting his sword into the blue ranger._

_Jason felt the shock and grief coming onto him as he realized he could do nothing to save his friends, watching in fear as the monster approached the pink and white rangers. Failure weighed heavily on the red ranger as the monster disposed of Kim and Tommy, laughing as their bodies fell to the ground in lifeless heaps._

_Goldar appeared in front of Jason, reaching out and grabbing his chin. He forced Jason to look at the bodies of his dead friends. "You have failed, Jason," he snarled, keeping his tight grip on Jason and not letting him look away. "You should have been able to stop this, but you didn't. Your friends died because you were too weak to save them."_

"No," Jason murmured in his sleep. He rolled over on his side, wanting to wake up from the nightmare, but the dark mist seemed to press down on him, keeping him from getting out of it.

Zedd laughed softly, his hands glowing as he sent another dream to Jason.

_Jason found himself in the command center. He looked around, not seeing any sign of Alpha or Zordon. He saw a light coming from under a door and walked towards it, surprised as it opened when he got near it. He walked into a room, seeing Zordon in a different tube and Alpha standing near a table._

_Zordon looked down at Alpha, not seeing Jason in the room. "Hurry, Alpha," he said, glancing at the figure dressed in white that was on the table. "The sooner we give Tommy the powers, the sooner we can replace Jason as the leader of the rangers. We need someone better to lead the team. Jason is a failure."_

_Alpha looked up at Zordon, ignoring Jason as if he wasn't there at all. "How soon are we going to find a new red ranger, Zordon," he asked. "You know the rest of the team won't want Jason around as soon as they see Tommy is back."_

_Zordon looked down at Alpha, sighing slightly. "I've all ready started looking for someone new, Alpha," he said. "But, I haven't found anyone yet. When I do, Jason will be removed from the team without any hesitation."_

_Jason slowly backed from the room, the sense of failure pressing down on him as he turned and teleported out of the command center._

Jason desperately tried to wake up, sweat covering him as he rolled over once again. The dark mist pressed down on him even more, holding him in the grip of sleep and refusing to let him go.

Zedd began to laugh, loud and long. He let his hands glow even brighter as he watched Jason struggle to get out from under the dreams, the glow from them lighting up the entire throne room. "No more dreams, Jason," he said. "I'll just let these two play in your mind for the rest of the night. No waking up from these tonight, red ranger. I want you so worn out that, when the time is right, you will fall into my trap without even realizing it." He stood over the globe, pressing his hands down above it and watching as the dark mist descended onto Jason and pressed him deeply into the mattress.

Jason tried to move, but the mist seemed to grab him and hold him still, keeping him even from tossing as the dreams played out in his mind once again. He opened his mouth, trying to yell out, but the mist prevented even that from happening. He was totally helpless in its grasp, unable to do anything but suffer through the dreams repeatedly for the rest of the night.

Zedd finally lifted his hands away from the globe as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. He snapped his fingers, watching in glee as Jason's eyes snapped open while the mist floated away.

Jason lay on the bed, shaking with the memories of the two nightmares. His body was soaked in sweat and his heart seemed to be hammering in his chest. He glanced at his clock, seeing that it was almost time for him to get up and get ready for school. He moaned softly, the dreams still playing through his mind. Jason pushed the covers off himself, sitting up and moving to get out of bed. He made his way to the bathroom, still shaking from the images that would not leave his mind. He shook his head, trying to erase the nightmares as he climbed into the shower. He did not stop shaking until he was almost dressed and ready for school. The images had finally faded, but the sense of failure they had brought still hung over him like a cloud, staying with him as he ate his breakfast and then left for school.

A/N: I know, I am sick and twisted. Let me know what you think anyway. Next chapter up as soon as I can.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own the Power Rangers. I really do not like saying that.

Jason closed his locker after getting his books out for his morning classes. He tried to shake off the tiredness he was feeling as he turned from his locker. Before he could take two steps, he bumped into someone, knocking books from his hands and the other person's as well. Jason looked at the person who he had bumped into, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?"

The young girl smiled at him, bending down with him to help pick up the books that had fallen onto the floor. "I'm fine," she said, handing him one of his books. "It wasn't all your fault. I was too busy looking at room numbers and not watching for other people." She smiled at Jason as they both stood up, holding out her hand. "I'm Christine Peterson," she said as she shook his hand. "My family just moved here from San Diego."

Jason gave her a small smile as he let go of her hand. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Jason Scott. Do you need help finding anything?"

Christine gave him a grateful look. "That would be great," she said. "I didn't have time to look for all of my classrooms when I came to see the school last week. Do you know where homeroom 12 is located?"

Jason nodded. "It's my homeroom," he said. "If you want to walk with me, I'll show you where it is."

"Thank you," Christine said, falling into step beside him. "I'd appreciate that." She walked with Jason down the hall, glancing around at the mass of students heading for their homerooms. "I didn't think the school was going to be this big," she said. "I'm finding myself getting lost rather easily."

Jason glanced at her briefly as they walked towards their homeroom. "If you need any help finding places, just let me know," he said. "I'd be glad to help." He slowed down as they approached room 12. "This is it," he said.

Christine smiled at him as he stood to the side and allowed her to enter before him. She looked around nervously, seeing curious eyes focusing on her as she entered.

The homeroom teacher smiled at Christine and walked over to her, holding out his hand. "Good morning," he said. "I'm Mr. Phillips. You must be Christine. Welcome to homeroom 12."

Christine shook his hand, giving him a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Phillips," she said.

Mr. Phillips saw Jason behind Christine and his smile widened. "Jason," he said. "Nice to see you back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, Mr. Phillips," Jason said. "A little stiff, but okay."

"Good," Mr. Phillips said, glancing from Jason to Christine and back again. "Please come over to my desk, both of you."

Jason and Christine followed Mr. Phillips to his desk.

Mr. Phillips picked up a note on his desk, facing the two teenagers. "It seems that Christine has the same schedule of classes as you, Jason," he said. "Mr. Jacobs left me a note asking if you would be willing to show her around the school. Her class schedule is identical to yours. She even has lunch and study hall with you." He glanced at Jason. "Would that be all right?"

Jason nodded, glancing at Christine. "I'd be glad to, Mr. Phillips," he said, giving Christine a small smile. "It's not a problem."

Mr. Phillips smiled. "Thank you, Jason," he said. "I believe the desk behind yours is empty. Please show Christine where it is and you both can have a seat. The bell should be ringing soon."

Jason nodded and looked at Christine. "We'll be in the row next to the windows," he said. "Fourth and fifth desks."

Christine nodded and followed him to their desks, sitting down behind him. She leaned forward as Jason sat down in front of her. "Thanks, Jason," she said. "I hope this won't be any trouble for you."

Jason looked at her over his shoulder. "No trouble at all," he said. "It will be pretty easy, since we have the same classes. I'm happy to do it." He turned back around as the bell rang.

Zordon looked down from his tube, watching Jason in the viewing globe. He frowned as he saw the tired slump of Jason's shoulders. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He looked away from the viewing globe, finding Alpha standing near the computers. "Alpha," he said. "Something is wrong with Jason. I want to see how he slept last night. Please bring it up on the viewing globe."

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha said. He pushed some buttons on the control panel, bringing up the images of Jason getting into bed.

Zordon watched Jason closely as he fell to sleep. He frowned as he saw the brief flash of light enter the teen's room, and then turn into a dark mist that descended onto the bed. His frown deepened as he saw Jason toss and turn, unable to wake up in the hold of the mist.

Alpha looked up at Zordon as the images disappeared from the viewing globe. "That looks like a sleeping spell of some kind, Zordon," he said. "Do you think that Zedd is doing this to Jason?"

Zordon nodded, looking at Jason's image as he walked with Christine down the hallway of the high school. "I'm almost sure of it, Alpha," he said. "I want you to keep the viewing globe focused on Jason today. Zedd is up to something and we need to be prepared to stop it."

"No problem, Zordon," Alpha said. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Yes, Alpha," Zordon said. "I want you to work on creating a force field to put up around Jason's room at night. I don't know what Zedd is up to, but we are going to stop it, right now."

"Consider it done, Zordon," Alpha said, turning to the computers. "I'll have it ready by this afternoon."

Zordon nodded, keeping his attention on Jason as he entered his first class for the day. He did not know what Zedd was trying to do, but he was going to protect Jason in any way that he could.

Zedd stood on the balcony of the moon palace, watching Jason through his visor. He let out a little laugh as he saw the tired slump of Jason's shoulders. "What's the matter, red ranger," he asked gleefully. "Not sleeping well? Having some nightmares?" His body began to glow red as he watched Jason sink into his desk in his first period class. "Don't worry, Jason," he said. "The nightmares are nothing compared to what I have in store for you." He turned away from the earth, heading out of the throne room without another glance at his future victim.

Finster looked up as Zedd entered his lab. He got up from his table, holding a piece of paper in his hand as he bowed to Zedd. "I'm glad to see you, my lord," he said. "I found the perfect dimension for you to use for the red ranger." He held out the piece of paper as Zedd walked over to him.

Zedd took the paper, reading the information over before looking back to Finster. "You are sure about the coordinates," he asked.

Finster nodded. "It is in a place that Zordon will not be able to find, my lord," he said. "Furthermore, I believe Rita created it with the red ranger in mind. From what I've learned about it, it seems set up just for him."

Zedd looked at the paper once again, and then turned from the lab. "Tell Goldar that I'm going to this dimension to check it over," he said. "I'll be back in a little while."

Finster nodded and bowed as Zedd left the lab. "I will do as you ask, my lord," he said.

Kim, Tommy, Trini, Zack and Billy sat at their table in the lunchroom, waiting for Jason to join them.

Tommy sat staring at the doors to the lunchroom, wanting to see Jason. He had heard the others talking about how tired Jason looked and his concern for his friend was growing with every second as Jason did not appear. He looked at the others, frowning slightly. "He should be here by now," he said. "I wonder what's keeping him."

Jason closed his locker after putting his books in from his morning classes. He sighed lightly and put his head against the locker, closing his eyes as he fought the tiredness. Images from his nightmares flashed through his mind and he opened his eyes quickly, shaking his head to get rid of the images. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Come on, Jason," he said quietly to himself. "Get it together. They were only nightmares, none of it was real. Just let them go." He shook his head again, taking another deep breath before squaring his shoulders and heading away from his locker.

Christine smiled at Jason as he walked up to her locker. "Are you sure your friends won't mind if I join you," she asked. "I don't want to intrude."

Jason gave her a small smile. "You won't be intruding," he said. "I think you'll like my friends. All of them are nice and I know they will welcome you without any hesitation. Let's go join them, I'm hungry."

Christine smiled wider. "All right," she said. "I'm ready for lunch."

Trini looked at Tommy as he looked back towards the doors to the lunchroom. "Tommy, relax," she said. "Jason is showing a new girl around the school. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Tommy let out a little sigh as he saw Jason walk into the lunchroom, walking beside a girl he did not know. "Here he comes now," he said, turning back to the others.

Jason and Christine walked over to the table, taking the two empty chairs as the others looked at them.

Jason put his hand on Christine's arm. "Christine, these are my friends," he said. "This is Billy, Zack, Trini, Kim and Tommy. This is Christine. She just moved to Angel Grove this past week."

Trini smiled warmly at Christine. "Welcome to Angel Grove," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

Christine smiled at Trini as the others said hi. "Thanks," she said. "It's nice to be here. I hope you don't mind if I join you, but I don't know anybody other than Jason."

Zack gave her a wide smile. "No problem," he said. "Any friend of Jason's is a friend of ours. Nice to meet you."

Kim sat back after giving Christine a welcoming smile. She watched the easy way that Christine and Jason talked and was surprised to feel herself growing a little jealous. Kim picked up her sandwich and began to eat, fighting the growing feeling as she sat next to Tommy.

Zedd looked around the dimension, glancing at the chains that hung on a far wall. He walked over to them, lifting one and looking at the cuffs on the ends. He let the chain go, turning to look at the other items in the dimension. He spotted an item in the corner and walked over to it. He picked the item up, turning it over in his hands, and then began to laugh as he realized why Rita had put it here. He set the item down, walking over to the portal that was waiting to take him back to the moon palace. He stopped just before the portal, looking around the dimension once more. "This will be perfect," he said. He turned back to the portal. "Now, all I need is the red ranger. Very soon, Jason, you will be mine." He walked through the portal, leaving the items in the dimension as he had found them.

Trini and Kim walked down the hallway after school, both heading for their lockers before going home.

Kim looked at Trini, biting her lip nervously. "What did you think of Christine," she asked.

Trini smiled. "I like her," she said. "She seems really nice. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better."

Kim let out a little sigh. "She is really nice, isn't she," she said. "And very pretty. I noticed a lot of guys looking at her during lunch and in Miss Appleby's class as well."

Trini looked at Kim as they arrived at their lockers. "Christine didn't seem to notice," Trini said. "I saw her looking at Jason a lot, when his attention was on something else. I think she's attracted to him."

Kim felt a twinge of jealousy at the words, but managed to hide it from Trini. She did not understand why she would be feeling this way. After all, she was very happy being with Tommy once again. She managed to give Trini a small smile. "It would be nice to see Jason with some girl who is interested in him," she said softly. "Someone who would want to be with him for who he is and not how popular he is in school."

Trini nodded her agreement as she pulled her homework assignments from her locker. "Yes it would," she said, closing her locker. She turned to face Kim as they shut their lockers. "Will I see you at the youth center later?"

Kim nodded. "Tommy said we'd catch up with you guys there," she said. "I'm going with him to the library to do some research for our history project. We shouldn't be too long."

"See you there, Kim," Trini said and headed out of the school.

"See you later, Trini," Kim said and walked down the hall to meet Tommy.

Zack closed his locker, looking up as Billy walked over to him. "Hey, Billy," Zack said. "Who's your partner for the history project?"

Billy grinned at Zack. "Trini," he said. "She's meeting me at the youth center today to go over the project with me. Who did you get?"

"Angela," Zack said, fairly beaming at Billy. "She said she'd be at the youth center today after school as well. Do you and Trini want a ride?"

"Why not," Billy said. "Trini said she'd meet me out in front of the school."

Zack turned from his locker. "Then, let's get going," he said. "We don't want to keep the ladies waiting."

Billy fell into step beside Zack, walking with him towards the entrance of the school. They met Trini outside, and then headed for Zack's car together.

Jason closed his locker after putting his books away for the day. He turned from the locker, looking up as someone walked over to him.

Steve walked over to Jason, giving him a small smile. "Hi, Jason," he said. "Mind if I walk out with you?"

Jason smiled at Steve. "Of course not," he said. "How was your day?"

Steve gave a little shrug. "Okay," he said. "How about you? You look tired, real tired."

Jason walked with Steve down the hall, sighing lightly. "I didn't sleep well last night," he said. "Other than being over tired, I'm okay."

Steve nodded, stopping as they got to the doors. "I wanted to ask you something," he said to Jason, his voice soft. "But, I didn't want to do it in front of anyone else."

Jason also stopped, facing Steve. "What is it," he asked.

"The funeral for Derek is on Saturday," Steve said. "It's private, but I talked to mom and dad and we all want you to be there. I thought since you were such a good friend of Derek's you might want to be there as well. If you don't want to come, I understand, but I could really use a friend there for support."

Jason put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "I'll be there," he said. "You just let me know what time, okay?"

Steve gave Jason a small smile. "Thanks, Jason," he said. "I don't think I could get through the day without some support."

Jason returned Steve's smile. "No problem," he said. He removed his hand and looked at his watch, grimacing slightly. "I've got to go," he said. "I promised my dad I'd be home right after school. He's still a little over protective right now."

Steve nodded. "Are you coming to the youth center later on," he asked. "A bunch of us are meeting there to hook up with our partners for the history project. Who did you get?"

Jason frowned slightly. "Laurie," he said. "I'm meeting her at the youth center later this evening."

Steve flinched. "Oh man," he said. "Why did Mr. Gonzalez partner her with you? Doesn't he know what she's been like where you are concerned?"

Jason shook his head. "Probably not," he said. "She always acts totally different around me when we're in class. This is not going to be a fun project for me. Who's your partner?"

"Some new girl," he said. "Christine Peterson I think is her name. She will be at the youth center later as well. Do you know her?"

Jason nodded. "She's in all of my classes," he said. "I think you two will get along fine. She seems really nice."

Steve nodded, turning back to the doors and heading out with Jason right beside him. "I'll see you later at the youth center," he said.

Jason said goodbye to Steve and headed for his home.

Zedd stood on the balcony once again, watching Jason through his visor. He watched as Jason walked through the park, heading for his home. "All alone, red ranger," he asked. "Well, perhaps I should send you some company." He turned from the balcony, looking at Goldar who was standing behind him. "Take some putties and head to earth," Zedd ordered. "Capture the red ranger and take him to the dimension. I'll be there waiting for you."

Goldar bowed. "At once, my lord," he said. He stood up and headed out of the throne room to gather the putties and follow his orders.

Zedd turned back to the earth, finding Jason as he approached the lake. "I'm not going to let Zordon figure out my plans, Jason," he said. "I'm going to take you now, before you have the chance to recover from the nightmares and lack of sleep. You will join me, or die."

Tommy and Kim walked through the park, following Jason without him knowing they were around.

Kim glanced up at Tommy. "Do you really think something is going to happen to him," she asked.

Before Tommy could answer, they saw Goldar and several putties appear to surround Jason. "Does that answer your question," he asked, throwing his backpack down and running towards his friend.

Kim threw her book bag down and followed right behind Tommy.

Jason looked up as Goldar and the putties appeared suddenly. He dropped his backpack, going into a defensive stance.

Goldar sneered at Jason as the putties moved to surround him. "It will go easier on you if you don't fight us, red ranger," he snarled. "We are here to take you to Lord Zedd. Just come along and you won't get hurt."

Jason shook his head. "No thanks," he said, keeping a wary eye on the putties as they began to circle him. "I'm happy right here. I think I'll stay here."

Goldar laughed. "It was not a request," he said, pointing his sword at Jason. "It was an order. Take him!"

Jason bent his knees, ducking under the swing of a putty in front of him. He came back up; his right hand clenched in a tight fist and caught the putty on the chest. The putty fell back, breaking into pieces from the hit on its Z.

Two of the putties reached out for Jason, meaning to grab his arms and pull him back towards them. Hands on their shoulders pulled them both back.

Jason spun around, his left leg held waist high. He shot his left leg out, hitting another putty on the Z on its chest and knocking it back. He heard someone else fighting the putties, but did not let it distract him as he faced two more. Jason lowered his left leg, and then jumped up, shooting his legs out in front of him. His feet connected with the Zs on the two putties in front of him, sending them flying away from him.

The putties fell to the ground, breaking apart as Jason landed back on his feet.

Tommy pulled one of the putties away from Jason, spinning it around and sending his right fist shooting out to hit it on the Z. He moved towards Jason as the putty fell to the ground, ignoring it as it broke apart.

Kim braced herself on her left leg and shot her right leg out in front of her. She gave a small smile as her foot connected with the Z on the putty in front of her and it fell back. She moved towards Jason, right beside Tommy, as the putty broke apart.

Goldar stood back, watching as Kim and Tommy moved to stand behind Jason, placing their backs against his.

Jason felt Tommy and Kim behind him as he faced another putty that charged him. He dropped into his defensive stance, blocking the punch the putty sent at him and shooting his left fist out. He gave a little smile as his fist connected with the Z on the putty, watching in satisfaction as it flew back and broke apart.

Goldar snarled in anger as Tommy and Kim got rid of the last two putties, both of them sending their fists into the Zs on their chests and sending them flying backwards. He ran at Jason, swinging his sword at the teen.

Jason heard Goldar heading for him and spun around. He staggered back as Goldar's sword slashed at him.

Tommy and Kim spun around as they heard Goldar. "Jason look out!"

Tommy's yell came too late as three putties appeared behind Jason.

Jason tried to stop his stagger, but the three putties grabbed him before he could move.

Tommy and Kim started towards Jason, but came to a stop as Goldar reached him first and placed the blade of his sword against Jason's throat.

Jason stood still as the blade pressed against his skin.

Goldar looked at Tommy and Kim over his shoulder. "Take one more step and I'll let you watch him bleed to death," he snarled. "You can't stop this, rangers. Lord Zedd wants Jason and I'm taking him to him."

Tommy glared at Goldar. "Let him go, Goldar," he said in a low, angry voice. "Zedd can't have Jason."

Goldar laughed, pressing the blade tighter against Jason's throat. "He all ready has him, Tommy," he sneered. "And you can do nothing about it." He reached out with his left hand, placing it on Jason's shoulder.

Tommy stood with his fists clenched in anger as Goldar and the putties teleported away, taking Jason with them. He turned as he felt Kim's hand on his arm. "Let's get to the command center," he said. "Zordon will know what to do."

Kim nodded and lifted her arm, wordlessly teleporting to the command center with Tommy.

A/N: I finally had the chance to work on this again. I hope you liked it. Let me know.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Here we go again. I do not own the power rangers. It just is not fair.

Zedd stood near a small table in the dimension, waiting for Goldar and the putties to bring Jason to him. He turned from the table as he heard them teleport into the dimension. Zedd walked over to Jason as Goldar lowered his sword and stepped back.

Jason met Zedd's gaze without flinching, defiance showing in his eyes.

Zedd looked at the putties holding the teen. "Take him over to the wall," he ordered. "Goldar, chain him good and tight."

Jason struggled in the grips of the putties, but they kept a tight hold on him and forced him over to the wall.

Goldar grabbed Jason's right wrist, fastening the cuff at the end of the chain tightly around it. He stepped back as the putties turned Jason, forcing his back against the wall. Goldar walked over to Jason's other side, grabbing his left wrist and taking his communicator off. Then, he fastened the other cuff around Jason's wrist, stepping back and handing the communicator to Zedd as he walked over to them.

The putties released their holds on Jason as soon as they saw he was chained to the wall. They moved out of the way, standing behind Zedd and Goldar.

Jason moved his arms, trying to free them from the chains as Zedd came to a stop in front of him.

Zedd chuckled and lifted his staff, the Z on top coming up under Jason's chin and forcing his head back slightly. "Struggle all you want, red ranger," he said. "It will do you no good. This dimension is unknown to Zordon. You won't leave here until I let you."

Jason fought to keep himself calm, meeting Zedd's visor with a defiant look. "I won't join you, Zedd," he said in an even voice.

Zedd chuckled once again, lowering his staff and taking a step back from Jason. "Still so defiant, Jason," he asked. "Why, after all of the failures you've had recently, I'm surprised you still have so much fight left in you." He leaned close to Jason, placing his mouth near Jason's ear. "I mean, you failed to keep Tommy from losing the green powers. You failed to save your friend Derek's life. In fact, you are such a failure that Zordon replaced you as the leader of the rangers, didn't he?"

Jason looked away from Zedd as the evil lord stepped back from him. Images from his nightmares flashed through his mind. Jason closed his eyes, feeling the failure he had felt from them come on strongly once again.

Zedd stood back, watching Jason's face as he fought to overcome the feelings from the nightmares. He smiled under his mask as he felt the emotions churning through the teen before him. _Perfect_, he thought. _Just a little more persuasion_ _and_ _you will be mine._

Zordon looked at Tommy and Kim as they teleported into the command center, running up to his tube. "I know why the two of you are here, Tommy," Zordon said. "I all ready have Alpha scanning Rita's dimensions, searching for Jason's power coin."

Tommy looked up at Zordon. "Is there anything else we can do, Zordon," he asked.

Zordon nodded. "I want you and Kimberly to teleport to the youth center," he said. "Find Billy and bring him back here. Let the others know what is going on as well. Until we find Jason that is all we can do."

Tommy looked at Kim, then turned back to Zordon and nodded slowly. "All right, Zordon," he said. "We'll be back with Billy and the others as soon as we can."

Zordon sighed as he watched Tommy and Kim teleport out of the command center. He looked at Alpha. "Hurry, Alpha," he said. "I have this feeling that Jason is in trouble. He needs our help and quickly."

"I've found no sign of Jason in Rita's known dimensions, Zordon," Alpha said. "I've broadened the search to look for him in places we may not know about. Once Billy gets here, he can help me broaden it even more."

Zordon nodded and looked away from Alpha. He closed his eyes. _Don't give up, Jason,_ he thought. _We will find you and_ _get you away from Zedd. Don't give in to him._

Jason slowly opened his eyes, feeling the failure slowly fading. He looked at Zedd, giving him a small, mocking smile. "You're wrong, Zedd," he said. "You almost had me. Those nightmares you gave me almost made me give up." His smile grew wider as Zedd clenched his fist at his side, his body beginning to glow red with anger. "I didn't stop you from stealing Tommy's powers, but that enabled Zordon to create new powers for him," Jason continued. "I wasn't able to keep Derek from dying, but I was able to distract the boys who beat him long enough for the police to get them." He looked at Zedd, the defiance growing in him as Zedd took a step closer to him. "And, as for Tommy being the new leader of the rangers, I don't know why Zordon did that, but I trust him. I know he has a good reason."

Zedd moved closer to Jason, sensing the new confidence in him. He growled in anger as Jason continued talking.

"If I was such a failure against Rita," Jason began, "why did you have to come here and take her place? If you thought I was going to fail leading the rangers, why did you banish Rita and take matters into your own hands? And, why haven't you been able to defeat us yet?"

Zedd snarled in anger and backhanded Jason viciously, snapping the teen's head back. He stepped right up to Jason, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at him. "I seriously underestimated you, Jason," he growled, holding the young man still as his anger grew. "But, I won't make that mistake again. I promise you." He released Jason's chin and turned to face Goldar. "Go collect that other human," he ordered. "It is time to change my plans."

Goldar nodded and bowed to Zedd. He stood up and teleported out of the dimension.

Zedd turned back to Jason, reaching behind the teen's back and pulling out his morpher. He held the morpher in front of Jason's face for a moment, then turned and walked over to a nearby table with it. Zedd set the morpher down on the table, next to Jason's communicator, then picked up another item and brought it over for Jason to see.

Jason looked at the item, feeling as if a cold hand touched his spine. He looked at Zedd, trying to keep the sudden fear he was feeling from showing.

Zedd smiled under his mask as he saw the look in Jason's eyes. He held the dark, red candle directly in front of Jason's face as he spoke. "I know what you're thinking, Jason," he said. "You think I'm going to light this candle and steal your powers." He lowered the candle, staring straight into Jason's eyes. "But, this candle is different, red ranger. It won't steal your powers, it won't even change them." He walked back over to the candle, placing it down on top of the table once again.

Jason watched as Zedd picked up his morpher and removed his power coin from it. He began to struggle as Zedd took the power coin and pressed it into the top of the red candle.

Zedd picked up another item from the table, turning with this item and the candle in his hands and walking back over to Jason. Zedd smiled under his mask as he held the other object in front of Jason's eyes. "Rita had this all planned before I came here," he said, taking the small, gold coin and pressing it into the bottom of the candle. "She placed a special spell on this wax. Once I light it, the spell will be released. Your powers will not leave you, but they will be used to help me create new, dark powers." He turned and walked back over to the table, setting the candle back down on it.

Jason looked away from Zedd as Goldar arrived back in the dimension, bringing another human with him. Jason saw the other person's face. He felt the shock run through him and he began to struggle harder.

Zedd turned, looking at the young man who stood beside Goldar. He walked over to the young man, putting his hand on his shoulder. "It's Gary, isn't it," he asked.

Gary looked at Zedd warily, but nodded slowly. His eyes went past Zedd, seeing Jason chained to the wall. He looked back to Zedd, his eyes beginning to show the hate he felt towards Jason. "It is," he said. "Why did you bring me here?" He looked to Jason once again. "Does it have anything to do with him?"

Zedd glanced at Jason over his shoulder, and then turned back to Gary. "It does," he said. "I want to offer you the chance to rid me of one of my enemies. I can give you the power to destroy Jason, as well as his friends. Are you interested?"

Gary stared at Jason, his hate showing plainly on his face and in his eyes. He looked back to Zedd and nodded. "I'm in," he said. "What do I have to do?"

Zedd led Gary over to the table. "That's the easy part," he said. "You don't have to do anything, yet. Once I light this candle, Jason's powers will help to create dark powers for you. When the candle burns out, the power coin in the bottom of it will hold your powers. Then, once you hold the coin in your hands, the powers will become yours and you can do whatever you want to Jason."

Gary smiled wickedly, holding out his hand. "Can I light it," he asked.

Billy stood beside Alpha, watching the results of their scans come back negative once again. He sighed, throwing the paper down and pressing some more buttons, expanding the search for his friend. He was beginning to lose hope when the computer beeped. Billy read the paper that printed out and his face paled. He turned to Zordon, clutching the paper in his hand. "Zordon," he said. "We found Jason. But, there is a problem."

Michael sat at the kitchen table, looking at the clock once again. He felt his anger turn to concern as Jason still was not home from school. He stood up and headed out of the house, wanting to go to the youth center to see if he could find out what happened to Jason.

Jason stood helplessly in the chains as he watched the candle burning. His wrists were raw from the cuffs cutting into his skin as he struggled to get free.

Gary walked over to Jason, grabbing his chin and looking him in the eyes. "I hope Zedd unchains you, Scott," he said. "I want to make sure you suffer far more than Derek did." He leaned close to Jason, putting his mouth near Jason's ear. "I hope you put up a good fight," he said. "I've been cooped up in a jail cell for too many days and I need a good workout."

Jason jerked his chin from Gary's hand, glaring at the young man in front of him. "Not even on your best day, Gary," he said his voice low with anger. "You needed help to get Derek, how do you think you'll fair against someone who can fight back?"

Gary smiled wickedly at Jason, drawing back his right arm. He sent his arm forward, his fist sinking into Jason's stomach. He smiled as Jason grunted in pain. "I'm looking forward to beating you to a pulp, Scott," he said. He looked over his shoulder at the candle, seeing that it was all ready half melted. He looked back to Jason, his smile growing wider. "It won't be long now, Scott." He turned and walked away from Jason, whistling softly.

Jason closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. He had to find a way to stop this. He could feel his powers flowing from him to the candle and back again, feeding off the spell on the wax and making the dark powers grow.

Gary moved to stand in front of the candle, watching in fascination, as the flame on the candle grew darker. He could feel the dark powers growing as the candle continued to burn.

Zedd stood back, watching the whole thing with a wide smile under his mask. He was looking forward to watching the fight between Gary and Jason once the powers were complete.

Zordon looked at Billy, not sure that he had heard him correctly. "Please repeat that, Billy," he said. "What do you mean you have two sources of Jason's power? He only has one coin."

"The computer picked up Jason's power coin, Zordon," Billy said. "It's in a dark dimension far from here. However, it also picked up a second power coin. It has Jason's powers, but they are darker, more evil. Zedd is somehow creating a new ranger."

Tommy looked at Billy. "Can we get there," he asked. "Can we stop this from happening?"

Billy turned to Tommy. "I can get us there," he said. "I can even make a device that will bring all of us back. Nevertheless, we won't get there before the new powers are created. They are growing stronger by the second."

Zordon looked at Billy. "Make the device, Billy," he said. "The most important thing is to get Jason out of there. We'll deal with this ranger of Zedd's later."

Billy nodded and walked back over to the computer, working with Alpha on the device they would need to get back to the command center.

Trini walked over to Zack as she saw Angela leave the youth center.

Zack looked at her in concern. "Any word," he asked.

Trini shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm worried. They should have found him by now."

Zack looked at her as his communicator beeped. The two of them walked out of the youth center, finding a quiet spot where no one would hear them.

Zack lifted his communicator to his mouth. "Zack here," he said. "Please tell me you found him, Zordon."

"Zack, its Tommy," the voice from his communicator said. "We need you and Trini at the command center right away. We found Jason, but we'll need your help to get him."

"We're on our way, Tommy," Zack said. He looked at Trini. "Let's go."

The two of them teleported to the command center.

Zedd picked up the two power coins as the candle burned completely out. He took Jason's and put it back in his morpher, then turned and handed the other coin to Gary. "It is done, dark ranger," he said. "Take the coin and let the powers come over you. Then, take your revenge on the red ranger."

Gary took the coin, closing his fist tightly around it. He felt the dark powers flow over and through him. He closed his eyes as the powers seemed to fill every fiber of him.

Jason stood watching, trying once again to free his wrists from the cuffs.

Zedd watched Gary for a moment, then picked up Jason's morpher and walked over to him. He reached up and snapped the cuffs off Jason's wrists, hearing Gary moving towards the two of them. Zedd thrust Jason's morpher into his hands, smiling under his mask. "I think you're going to need this," he said, moving away from Jason.

Gary moved to stand a few feet in front of Jason, smiling at him. "Go ahead, Jason," he said, the dark powers making his voice lower than normal. "Morph. I want this to be a fair fight."

Jason didn't hesitate. He held his morpher out in front of him. "Tyrannosaurus," he called.

Gary held his power coin in his fist as Jason appeared in front of him in his ranger outfit. He placed his closed hand on his chest, closing his eyes. "Dark ranger," he said.

Jason moved away from the wall as Gary was engulfed in a dark light.

Zedd looked at Goldar. "Why don't we let these two settle this matter," he asked. "We'll watch the whole thing from the palace." He teleported the two of them away before Goldar could say anything.

Jason looked at Gary as the dark light around him faded.

Gary stood in a darker version of Jason's ranger outfit, with black replacing the white in every place. Gary smiled at Jason under his helmet, dropping into a fighting stance. "Time for you to die, Scott," he said, launching an attack at Jason.

Zordon looked at the rangers as they stood before him. "Remember, rangers," he said. "Just get Jason out of there. That is the most important thing."

Tommy nodded at Zordon, and then looked at the others over his shoulder. "It's morphin' time," he said, reaching behind his back.

The others reached for their morphers, determination in each of their eyes.

Jason ducked under the blow Gary took at him. He came back up, his right fist shooting out to hit Gary in the chest.

Gary staggered back from the blow, then planted his feet and moved towards Jason once again. He held his hand up in the air, smiling under his helmet as a dark sword appeared in his hand. He swung his arm down as he got to Jason, feeling the sword strike Jason on the chest and send him flying backwards.

Jason landed hard on the floor, stunned from the blow he received from the sword. He lay on his back, trying to get his breath back as Gary slowly approached him.

Gary walked over to stand beside Jason, lifting the sword over his head with both hands. "Goodbye, Jason," he said, swinging the sword down, right at Jason's chest.

Michael entered the youth center, looking around for Jason. His worry started to grow as he saw no sign of his son. He spotted Ernie behind the juice bar and walked over to it.

Ernie smiled at Michael as he walked over to him. "Hi, Michael," he said. "I'm surprised to see you here. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Ernie," Michael said. "I was looking for Jason. Have you seen him?"

Ernie shook his head. "No," he said. "I haven't. I know a lot of the kids were meeting here to start work on their history projects, but Jason hasn't been one of them."

Michael sighed lightly. "If you see him, tell him I'm looking for him and to stay here," he said. "Would you do that?"

Ernie nodded. "I'd be glad to," he said. "Is there anything wrong?"

Michael nodded. "The judge let Gary, Todd and Will out on bail," he said. "Jason was supposed to come straight home after school, but he never showed. I'm starting to get worried."

"I'll keep an eye out for him, Michael," Ernie said. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's all right."

"I hope so, Ernie," he said. "I really hope so." He turned and left the youth center, heading for the park.

Tommy and the others arrived in the dimension, just in time to see Gary swing his sword down at Jason.

"Jason!" Kim screamed as the blade plunged into the upper right side of his chest.

Gary pulled the sword out of Jason, glancing over at the rangers who moved towards him. He looked back down at Jason, seeing his ranger outfit grow darker with the blood from the wound. "Until next time, Scott," he said, stepping back from Jason. He teleported out of the dimension before the rangers could reach him.

Kim was the first one to reach Jason, dropping to her knees next to him and looking at the bloodstain that was growing on his chest.

Tommy and Zack reached Jason, kneeling at his head and other side.

Tommy looked up at Billy as he noticed Jason was not moving. "Get us out of here, Billy," he said. "We need to get Jason to the command center so Alpha can heal him, now."

Billy pulled the device out, pointing it at Jason as he set the controls. "I'm teleporting him now," he said. "You three go with him and Trini and I will follow." He pushed the button to activate the device and watched as Tommy, Kim, Zack and Jason teleported out of the dimension.

Trini grabbed Billy's arm as he set the controls to teleport the two of them back to the command center.

A/N: Next chapter up as soon as I can. Let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, as I have said so many times before.

Zordon let out a relieved sigh as Tommy, Kim and Zack teleported into the command center, bringing Jason with them. His relief quickly turned to worry as he saw the dark stain on Jason's outfit. "Alpha, Jason's hurt," he said. "Get the medical equipment set up immediately. Tommy, Zack, get Jason onto the medical bed."

Kim stood up and moved back from Jason, letting Tommy and Zack lift him and place him gently on the medical bed. She powered down as Billy and Trini teleported into the command center.

Tommy and Zack moved back as Billy powered down and ran over to the medical bed. The white and black rangers turned and walked over to join Kim and Trini as Billy and Alpha hooked Jason up to the medical equipment.

Tommy looked at Kim as he powered down. He saw the way she was staring at Jason and a touch of jealousy flared inside of him. He shook it off and moved to stand beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Kim leaned against Tommy, putting her arm around his waist, but she never took her eyes off Jason's still form. She could not look away until she knew he was going to be okay.

Zack and Trini stood just to the side of Tommy and Kim, powering down and watching Billy and Alpha turn on the machines to start healing Jason.

Billy hooked up the last machine and moved to join the others as Alpha ran a scanner over Jason's unmoving form.

Alpha read the results from the scanner, and then turned to look at Zordon and the rangers. "We got to him in time, Zordon," Alpha said. "It will take about an hour, but the machines will heal him completely, leaving no trace of the injury."

Zedd turned as Gary teleported into the moon palace. "What happened," he asked, his body glowing red with anger. "You were supposed to kill him."

Gary powered down, giving Zedd an angry look. "I tried," he said. "I had him at my mercy, and then the other rangers showed up. I thought you said they wouldn't find that dimension."

Zedd turned from Gary, his anger building as he looked towards the earth. "Zordon did better than I thought he would," he growled. "I don't know how they found us, but I promise the next time, Jason will not get away from us."

Gary looked at Zedd as he turned back around. "I get to be the one to kill him, right," he asked.

Zedd nodded, his anger beginning to calm down. "You will be the one to get rid of Jason for good," he said. "I promise. However, for now, you must teleport back to earth, before you are missed. I will let you know when the time is right for our next attack."

Gary nodded and teleported out of the moon palace, heading back to earth.

Zedd looked at Goldar. "Keep an eye on him," he ordered. "I don't trust him."

Goldar bowed to Zedd. "As you wish, sire," he said. "I will keep him under constant surveillance."

Zedd turned and left the throne room without another word.

Michael walked back into the youth center, looking around once more for Jason. He saw no sign of his son as was about to leave when a dark haired young woman walked up to him.

"Mr. Scott," the young woman said. "Have you seen Jason? He was supposed to meet me here to go over ideas for our history project."

Michael shook his head, looking at the young woman. "No, I haven't seen him," he said. "But, if he shows up here, please have him call my cell phone. He has the number."

The young woman smiled and nodded. "I'll do that," she said. She turned and walked away without saying anything else.

Michael glanced around once again, then turned and left the youth center. _Where are you, Jason_, he thought. _You'd better have a good excuse for not coming straight home or you will be grounded for a very long time._

Jason moaned slightly, his eyes fluttering as he fought to regain consciousness.

Kim pulled away from Tommy, rushing over to Jason's left side and taking his hand. "Its okay, Jason," she said softly. "You're safe now. We got you back to the command center. Just lie still and let the machines heal you."

Jason slowly opened his eyes, turning his head and looking at Kim's worried face. "Kim," he whispered. "What happened? Why does my chest hurt so badly?"

Kim squeezed his hand gently, trying to keep her voice from showing the concern that was filling her. "Zedd's dark ranger stabbed you, Jason," she said softly. "We got there just as he did it. We prevented him from doing more, but you lost a lot of blood. We got you back here and Alpha hooked you up to the medical equipment. He said you'll be fine, but you need to lie still for another half hour."

Jason closed his eyes, nodding in silence as he tried to relax. Things were starting to come back to him now, the memories rushing at him in waves. He opened his eyes as he heard someone on his right side.

Billy smiled at Jason as he checked the machines connections to him. "Good to see you awake, Jason," he said. "Just relax and let the machines work, okay?"

Jason nodded, managing to give Billy a small smile. He closed his eyes and visibly relaxed once again.

Kim looked at Billy, the unspoken question in her eyes.

Billy gave her a small smile, making the OK sign with his fingers.

Kim let out a small, relieved sigh and turned her attention back to Jason.

Tommy stood back; watching the way Kim fussed over Jason and felt the spark of jealousy flare up in him once again. He turned away from watching them, trying to fight down the feelings as Kim stood there, not letting go of Jason's hand. Tommy walked away from the others, wanting some time to calm down before he talked to the rest of the team.

Half an hour later, Alpha took the scanner and ran it over Jason once again. He read the results and turned to look at Billy. "Turn them off, Billy," he said. "He's completely healed now."

Billy smiled and nodded, turning the machines off. He walked over to help Alpha unhook them as Jason slowly opened his eyes once again.

Kim smiled as Jason's eyes met hers. "Welcome back," she said. "You had all of us scared."

Jason managed to give her a small smile as Billy and Alpha finished unhooking the machines. "Good to be back," he said softly.

Kim released his hand, stepping back as the others moved to see how Jason was doing.

Zack and Trini gave him big smiles as Billy helped him sit up on the bed.

Jason smiled at them, and then looked at Tommy as he walked over.

Tommy quelled his feelings of jealousy and managed to give Jason a smile. "Good to see you're all right, bro," Tommy said. "Can you tell us what happened? Who is Zedd's dark ranger?"

Jason let his breath out slowly as he got off the bed. "Let's sit down," he said. "The news is not good."

"Gary?" Trini's face paled as she spoke the name. "Zedd's dark ranger is Gary?"

Jason nodded his face grim. "Gary," he said. "And Zedd didn't have to work too hard to convince him to take the powers. He was actually excited about it."

Tommy looked at Jason, the concern clearly on his face. "You were right, Jason," he said. "This is bad, really bad. Gary will be after you with a vengeance, now."

Jason sat in silence, not knowing what else to say. He happened to glance at his watch and his face paled. "Is it really five-thirty," he asked quietly.

Billy glanced at his watch and nodded. "It is," he said. "Why?"

Jason moaned softly and closed his eyes. "I'm dead," he said. "I was supposed to go straight home after school. My dad is going to kill me."

Kim put her hand on Jason's arm. "I'll go with you," she said. "You can blame it all on me. I'll just tell your dad you were helping me with a problem from school and it's my fault you were late."

Jason looked at Kim. "I don't want to get you into any trouble," he said. "It might be better if I go alone."

Tommy looked at Jason, noticing that Kim kept her hand on his arm, but fighting down the growing feeling of jealousy. "I'll come with you two," he said. "If your dad asks, you were helping both of us with our projects and we lost track of time."

Jason looked between Kim and Tommy, and then nodded reluctantly. "All right," he said. "Thanks."

Kim smiled at Jason, removing her hand and looking at Tommy. "We should teleport back to the park," she said. "We can all go to Jason's house from there."

Tommy nodded, standing up and looking at Billy, Trini and Zack. "We'll meet you guys at the youth center," he said. "Unless you want to come as well."

Zack shook his head. "If all of us show up, Jason's dad might think we're just trying to cover for him," he said. "We'll see you at the youth center." He glanced at Jason. "Good luck."

Jason grinned as Zack, Trini and Billy teleported out of the command center. He looked at Tommy and Kim. "Let's go get this over with," he said.

Tommy and Kim teleported out of the command center with Jason.

Michael sat at the kitchen table, anger and worry running through him. He got up from the table and walked over to the phone, picking it up to call the station. He heard the front door open and he put the phone down before dialing. He walked out of the kitchen, looking at the three young people who were standing in the hallway.

Jason turned as he heard his dad come out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry, dad," he said. "Tommy and Kim asked for my help on their history project and we lost track of time."

Kim looked at Michael, seeing the anger in his eyes. "It's really my fault, Mr. Scott," she said. "Jason told me he had to come straight home, but I kind of cornered him. Please don't be angry at him."

Michael looked at Jason, his anger fading slightly as he saw his son's expression. He looked back to Kim and Tommy. "I think the two of you should go home," Michael said softly. "I need to talk to Jason alone."

Jason looked at Tommy, shaking his head as Tommy looked like he was going to speak. "I'll see you guys in school tomorrow," he said. "If you see Laurie at the youth center, tell her I'll bring ideas for our project to school with me. We can go over them in study hall."

Tommy glanced at Michael, and then looked back to Jason before nodding. "All right, Jase," he said. "We'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

Kim grabbed Tommy's arm and turned him towards the door, forcing him out of the house before anymore could be said.

Michael looked at Jason as the door closed. "In the kitchen, son," he said, his voice showing a mixture of anger and concern. "Now!"

Laurie walked up to Tommy and Kim as they entered the youth center. "Where's Jason," she asked. "He was supposed to be here by now."

Kim looked at Laurie, giving her a slight frown. "He's at home," she said. "His dad needs him there. He said that he would bring his ideas for your project to school and you two could go over things in study hall."

"He'd better have some good ones," Laurie said. "After I've wasted all of this time waiting for him." She turned and walked away, leaving Kim and Tommy staring after her in anger.

Kim let out a long breath. "I can't stand her," she said. "And the way she treats Jason is enough to make my blood boil."

Tommy put his arm around Kim's shoulders. "I know," he said. He sighed lightly. "Come on. Let's go join the others."

Billy and Zack smiled at Tommy and Kim as they came over to their table.

"How did it go," Zack asked them.

Kim sighed as she and Tommy sat down. "I don't think Mr. Scott was too happy with any of us," she said. "He looked angry, even after I took most of the blame for Jason being late."

Tommy looked around, and then turned his attention to Billy. "Where's Trini," he asked.

Billy pointed towards the door. "She and Christine went for a walk," he said. "Christine wanted to talk to her in private. I think it might have something to do with Jason."

Zack grinned. "I think Christine likes Jason," he said. "She's probably talking to Trini to see if Jason might like her as well."

Tommy grinned. "I think they'd make a good couple," he said. "She's very pretty and just as nice as Jason. They could be real good together."

Kim sat in silence, the jealousy flaring up in her once again. She didn't say anything as the boys began to talk about school the next day.

Trini looked at Christine as they walked along the path in the park. "So, why did you want to talk to me," she asked.

Christine sighed softly. "I wanted to ask you about Jason," she said. "He's a really great guy. Why doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

Trini sighed, walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down. She looked at Christine as she sat next to her. "He could have just about any girl in the school," Trini said. "But, that is part of the problem. Most of the girls in the school just want to date him to boost their own popularity. They don't want to date Jason because of who he is, but because of how popular he is. They just want to be able to say they went out on a date with him, nothing more."

"That's terrible," Christine said. "Jason has so much to offer someone. He's so nice and caring and smart and _extremely_ good looking. I think any girl who has his attention would be the luckiest girl in the world."

Trini smiled slightly, looking at Christine with interest. "You like him, don't you," she asked.

Christine blushed slightly, nodding without saying a word.

Trini's smile widened. "I think you and Jason would be good together," she said. "I could find out if he likes you, if you wanted me to, that is."

Christine shook her head. "I don't want you to go to any trouble," she said. "I don't think he'd be interested in someone like me."

"Why not you," Trini asked. "You're very pretty, smart and extremely nice. I think Jason might just like you as well."

Christine looked at Trini, giving her a small smile. "Do you really think he could like me," she asked.

"Do you want me to find out," Trini asked. "I will if you want me to."

Christine sat thinking about it for a minute, and then nodded slowly. "All right," she said. "Thanks, Trini."

Trini nodded and stood up. "No problem," she said. "Let's get back to the youth center. And don't worry, I won't tell the others about this, until we know how Jason feels."

Christine stood up and the two of them walked back towards the youth center.

Michael looked at Jason as they sat at the kitchen table. "It was important that you come straight home after school, Jason," he said. "I thought I made that perfectly clear."

"Dad, I didn't mean to be late," Jason said. "I told Kim I had to come straight home, but she seemed pretty upset about something and I couldn't just walk away."

Michael sighed and stood up, walking over to the window before turning back to face his son. "I'm not asking you to turn your back on your friends, Jason," he said. "But, when I tell you to do something, that is what I expect you to do. I'm not doing it to be mean."

Jason stood up and walked over to his dad. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I won't do it again."

Michael looked at Jason, shaking his head before answering him. "It isn't just about me," he said. "Jason, the judge let Gary, Todd and Will out on bail. They are not in jail anymore."

Jason looked at his dad, unable to say anything for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. "So, you think they might come after me," he asked. "Is that why you wanted me home?"

Michael nodded. "I think you should come straight home every day until the trial, Jason," he said. "I don't want to take the chance you'll run into them when no one else is around."

"I can't do that, dad," Jason said. "I have my martial arts classes at the youth center twice a week. I also have a history project that I have to do with Laurie. The last place I want her to come is here. Plus, I'll be able to go back to football practice next week."

Michael frowned at Jason. "Can't you get someone to cover for you," he asked. "Couldn't Tommy take your classes at the youth center? Does the football team really need you that badly?"

Jason took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before answering Michael. "Dad, I don't want to ask others to take on my commitments," he said softly. "I made the promise to do these things, not have Tommy or other people cover for me. If I pull out of these now, what does that say about me? I gave my word to do these things; I won't go back on it. Please try to understand. I can't break my word."

Michael looked at Jason, his face showing conflicting emotions. He sighed, putting his hands on Jason's shoulders. "I don't want anything to happen to you, son," he said softly, his voice showing the worry that was running through him.

Jason met Michael's eyes. "I know, dad," he said softly. "But, please don't ask me to go back on my word. I made promises and I intend to keep them. I'll be careful, but I need to do these things."

Michael sighed loudly, slowly lowering his hands from his son's shoulders. "All right, Jason," he said after a long pause. "Just keep an eye out for Gary, Todd and Will. Promise me that and I'll try not to worry too much."

Jason put his hand on Michael's shoulder. "I promise," he said.

Later that night, Jason lay in bed, sleeping soundly for the first time in several nights.

Michael stood in the doorway of Jason's room, watching his son sleep. He sighed lightly and turned away from the room, going to his and Karen's room.

Karen Scott looked at Michael as he entered the bedroom. "Are you all right," she asked.

Michael shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed. "No," he said. "I'm still worried about Jason. What if Gary gets his hands on him?"

Karen moved to sit beside Michael, putting her arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "What if he doesn't," she asked. "Michael, if you start wondering 'what if' all the time, you will never relax. Trust our son, I do. If he promises to be careful, he will do just that. In addition, he's right about not going back on the promises he made to those kids and the football team. No one would ever respect him if he broke his word."

"He's turning into a young adult, Karen," Michael said. "When did he grow up?"

Karen smiled and looked at Michael. "Before we were ready for it," she said. "It's like I said before. We just have to trust that we did the best job we could and let him go. He's ready to make his own way in this world. It's time to let him do that, no matter how much we don't like the idea. Our only child is getting ready to leave us and start his own life. As much as it hurts, we have to let him go."

Michael looked at Karen, giving her a small smile. "I know," he said. "I'm just not ready to accept that yet."

Zedd stood on the balcony of his palace, watching Jason through his visor as the teen slept. "Rest while you can, red ranger," he snarled. "I'm not through with you yet."

A/N: That's the end of this chapter. Sorry it was so long in coming. I'll try to post sooner with the next one. Let me know what you think.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. Any questions?

A/N: I have been struggling with this chapter for some time now. I hope I have it right this time. To all of my reviewers, please forgive me if I did not respond to your reviews. Between work, my kids needing this, that, and the holidays, I have not had time to think let alone sit down and respond to you. Nevertheless, I always appreciate your reviews and comments. Hope you like this one!

Zedd stood on his balcony Tuesday morning, watching Jason through his visor as he walked to school. Hate and anger began to well up in the dark lord. He slammed his fist on the railing to the balcony as Jason entered the high school. "What do I have to do to get rid of one of you brats," he snarled angrily. "Why is it so hard to kill one of you?" He turned from the railing, the anger building inside of him. He had to do something to get rid of Jason. He knew that Tommy was the new leader of the rangers, but Jason was the heart and soul of the team. If he could kill Jason, the others would lose their heart for any more battles. He stalked from the throne room, needing time to come up with another plan.

Kim looked at Trini as they walked towards school. "Do you think Jason might be interested in Christine," Kim asked.

Trini glanced at Kim, smiling slightly. "I think there is an attraction there," she said. "I think they'd make a good couple. Why?"

Kim shrugged slightly, fighting the jealousy that threatened to well up in her. "I don't know," she said softly. "Something just feels wrong to me."

Trini stopped walking and turned to face Kim. "Like what," she asked.

Kim faced Trini, shrugging once again. "I don't know for sure," she said. "It's just a feeling I have. I can't explain it."

Trini put her hand on Kim's shoulder. "Come on, Kim," she said softly. "Christine is a nice girl. What do you have against her?"

Kim let her breath out slowly. "Nothing," she sighed. "I just don't think she and Jason belong together."

Trini removed her hand and looked at Kim critically, shaking her head. "You know, if I didn't know better I'd swear you were jealous."

Kim gave Trini a hot look, shaking her head. "I'm not jealous," she snapped. "I'm with Tommy. I want to be with Tommy, no one else." She turned away from Trini and stormed off, heading for school without waiting for her friend.

Trini sighed and slowly followed Kim, not trying to catch up to her friend. "This is shaping up to be a long day," she whispered.

Zack glanced at Tommy as he drove the two of them to school. "You're awful quiet, man," Zack commented. "Want to talk about it?"

Tommy glanced at Zack before looking back out the windshield. "Were Jason and Kim ever an item?"

"Where did this come from," Zack asked in shock.

Tommy sighed heavily, turning to face Zack. "Yesterday, after we found Jason," he started, "Kim didn't leave his side for a second. She was so concerned about him. I have to admit it made me jealous. The look she was giving him was not the look a friend gives to another."

Zack pulled the car into the school parking lot and into his slot. He shut the car down and turned to face Tommy, letting his breath out slowly. "Okay, Tommy," he said. "Listen to me. Kim is with you. She is crazy about you. The entire time you were gone, we could not go a day without hearing your name from her at least once. She and Jason are just friends, nothing more. Don't make trouble where there is none, okay?"

Tommy looked at Zack, a small smile on his face. "She talked about me the whole time I was gone?"

Zack smiled, shaking his head. "Yeah, she did," he said. "It drove us crazy. Next time, take her with you, okay?"

Tommy gave a little laugh. "Deal."

Kim closed her locker and turned, smiling as she saw Tommy walking over to her. "Hey, handsome," she said.

"Hi, beautiful," Tommy greeted. "How are you today?"

Kim wrapped her arm around his waist, her smile growing wider as his arm slipped around her shoulders. "Really good, now that you're here."

Tommy grinned at her. "Same here. Come on, let's get to homeroom."

Jason closed his locker and turned around. He tensed as he saw Gary standing across the hall, watching him.

Gary gave Jason a smirk before turning and heading down the hallway towards his homeroom.

Jason watched Gary walk down the hall, uneasiness coming over him as Todd and Will joined their friend. He heard someone walk up to him and forced his attention away from Gary, looking at Steve as his friend approached him.

Steve glanced down the hallway, hate flaring in his eyes as he saw the three boys head into their homeroom. He turned his attention to Jason. "What are they doing here," he asked.

Jason turned his full attention to Steve. "My dad told me the judge let them out on bail," he answered. "He wanted me to know about that in case they tried to start any trouble."

Steve looked at Jason, shaking his head. "I can't believe the judge would let them out on bail," he whispered, trying to keep the hate out of his voice. "Watch your back. If you give Gary a chance, he'll come after you."

"I'll be careful," Jason replied. "Just promise me that you won't go after them."

Steve met Jason's eyes, then slowly nodded. "I promise," he said softly. "But, if they try anything against you, all bets are off."

Christine closed her locker and turned from it, glancing around the hallway. She spotted a group of girls across the hall staring at her with angry looks. She looked away from them, spotting Jason and Steve near Jason's locker. She turned and headed towards the two boys, feeling the stares of the girls following her as she walked.

Jason glanced at Christine, his eyes narrowing as he saw the tenseness in her shoulders. He turned to face her, watching her face closely. "Hey, Chris," Jason greeted. "Are you okay?"

Christine walked up to Jason, shaking her head slightly. "I don't know," she whispered. "Those girls back there were giving me some mean looks. I do not even know any of them. What did I do to make them angry at me?"

Jason and Steve both glanced down the hallway, spotting the group of girls who were still standing there and glaring at Christine.

The girls saw Jason looking at them and they turned around and walked off, not looking back as they headed for their homerooms.

Jason sighed lightly and turned his attention back to Christine. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I think they are mad at you because of me."

Christine looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

Steve spoke before Jason could answer. "They all want to go out with Jason," he said. "They see you as a threat." He smiled as he noticed Christine blush slightly. He glanced at Jason, seeing him blushing as well. His smile grew wider as he put his hand on Jason's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.

Jason glanced at Steve, his cheeks getting a little redder as he saw the look in his friend's eyes.

Steve fought down the urge to chuckle, not wanting to embarrass his friend more. "I'll see you two later," he said and walked off down the hall, leaving Jason and Christine alone.

Christine glanced at Jason, her blush growing deeper as she met his eyes. "I don't know why they would be jealous of me," she murmered. "It's not like we're dating or anything like that."

Jason stood in silence, slowly studying Christine's face. He locked his dark brown eyes onto her blue ones, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Would that be so bad," he whispered.

Christine studied Jason's handsome face, feeling herself blushing even more as she locked eyes with him once again. She slowly shook her head. "No, that would be a good thing," she whispered.

Jason smiled at her, slowly reaching out and taking her free hand in his. "We'll talk about this later," he said, turning while still holding her hand. "We'd better get to homeroom before we're late."

Christine moved to walk beside him, holding his hand and feeling as if she did not have a care in the world.

Zedd paced around his throne room, trying to figure out a plan to get rid of Jason. He walked over to the balcony, glancing down at earth through his visor. He saw everything that happened in the hallway at the high school and he smiled under his mask as he saw Jason and Christine walk away holding hands. He turned away from earth and walked out of the throne room, heading for Finster's lab to put his idea into motion.

Christine looked at Jason as Laurie approached the two of them in study hall. "I'll let the two of you go over your ideas," she said softly. "I'll meet you in the hall after class."

Jason smiled at her and nodded before turning his attention to Laurie as she sat down at the desk next to him.

Laurie looked at Jason, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I waited three hours for you yesterday," she said in a low angry voice. "I don't want to hear any excuses as to why you didn't show up. Let's just go over your ideas and we can meet this evening at the youth center to decide which one we'll use and what research we'll have to do for the project."

"I have two martial arts classes this afternoon," Jason said, irritation clearly in his voice. "We could meet after they are done."

Laurie opened her notebook, waving her hand at him without looking at him at all. "Whatever," she snapped. "Just give me your ideas so I can get on with the rest of my day."

Zedd stood back, watching as Finster poured a red liquid into a small bottle. He smiled under his mask as Finster handed him the bottle. "You are sure this will work," he asked.

Finster nodded and bowed to Zedd. "I'm sure, my lord," he answered. "All that Jason has to do is drink it and the spell will be complete."

"Good job, Finster," Zedd chuckled. "I'll make sure that the putties distract the rangers so Goldar can slip this into Jason's drink. I assume it will be undetectable?"

"Yes, my lord," Finster groveled. "It will turn his drink dark red for just a second then disappear completely. The rangers will never know anything about it."

Zedd nodded. "Thank you, Finster," he said, turning and leaving the lab. He walked through the hall towards his throne room once again. "Goldar! Get in here. I have a job for you."

Christine glanced at Jason as they walked towards the youth center after school that afternoon. "Are you okay," she asked. "You seem awfully quiet. You haven't changed your mind about us going to the movies on Friday, have you?"

Jason came to a stop, turning towards Christine and taking her hand. He managed to give her a small smile. "No," he said softly. "I didn't change my mind. I'm looking forward to spending some time with you away from school."

Christine reached up, touching his cheek softly. "Then what's wrong," she whispered.

Jason let out a little sigh. "It has nothing to do with you," he replied, just as softly. "Laurie just got on my nerves this afternoon. I'm not looking forward to having to spend a lot of time with her doing this project. She's not the easiest person to get along with."

Christine frowned slightly. "Why is she like that towards you," she asked.

Jason shrugged slightly. "I don't know," he answered. "As far as I know, I've never done anything to make her dislike me." He sighed deeply, looking into Christine's eyes and giving her a smile. "Let's not talk about her anymore. Let's just get to the youth center so I can get ready for my classes."

"Okay," Christine replied. She turned with Jason and they continued on their way to the youth center, holding hands while they walked.

Zedd watched Jason and Christine from his balcony, smiling under his mask. "I have a feeling that things are about to change for you, red ranger," he snarled. "In ways that you would never suspect." He laughed and turned from viewing earth, looking at Goldar. "Get the putties ready," he ordered. "When I give the word, go down to earth and do as I instructed. Make sure none of the rangers see you put that in Jason's drink."

"It will be done, my lord," Goldar said, bowing before leaving the throne room.

Kim looked up from her seat at the table in the youth center, just as Jason and Christine entered. Her smile faded as she spotted the two of them holding hands. The jealousy she had been fighting down came on, stronger than ever before. She quickly glanced away from the pair, fighting the urge to go over and have it out with Christine. _Stop it, Kim_, she told herself silently. _You are with Tommy. Jason is just a friend and nothing more_. She sighed lightly and went back to her schoolwork.

Christine smiled at Jason as they walked over to the mats. She reluctantly let go of his hand as he set his gym bag on one of the bleachers. "I'll see you later," she asked as he stood up straight and faced her.

Jason smiled at her, putting his hand gently on her arm. "Later it is," he answered. He glanced past her to see Steve sitting at a nearby table. "You'll be busy with your project for a while, I imagine."

Christine glanced over her shoulder, seeing Steve waiting for her. She turned back to Jason and smiled wider at him. "Looks that way." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned and hurried over to where Steve was sitting.

Steve grinned at her as she sat down. "Am I interupting something," he asked.

Christine gave him a mock frown. "Just get to work on our project," she mumbled.

Steve chuckled lightly and turned his attention back to his notes without saying anything else.

Zedd turned to Goldar as Jason finished his last martial arts class for the day. "Now, Goldar," he ordered. "Take the putties and do as I have instructed. It is time for the rangers to be divided, once and for all."

Jason walked over to his gym bag, pulling a bottle of water from it and twisting it open. He was about to take a drink when putties suddenly appeared in the youth center. Jason set his bottle down and moved towards three of the putties who were near him on the mats.

Tommy, Kim, Billy, Trini and Zack came to their feet as more putties appeared near their table. They spread out, wanting to get some room to fight the putties easily.

Goldar stepped out from behind the bleachers, sneaking over to Jason's water bottle. He took the bottle of red liquid out and poured it into the bottle of water. He smiled as he saw the water turn red then back to clear in a matter of one second. He turned and moved back to stand behind the bleachers once again, watching as the rangers took on the putties.

Tommy faced one of the putties that was near him, shooting his left fist out. He felt his fist connect with the Z on the putties' chest and turned from it as it fell apart, looking for another putty to fight.

Billy stood beside Trini as two puttied approached them. Billy braced himself on his left leg and shot his right foot out in a forward kick. He smiled as he felt his foot connect with the Z on the putty's chest and turned to see how Trini was doing.

Trini braced herself on her left leg, bending her right leg and lifting it waist high. She twisted to the side, avoiding the blow the putty sent at her and straightened her right leg. Her right foot caught the putty in the chest and she glanced at Billy as she lowered her leg and turned to face him. She did not even watch as the putty broke apart.

Kim ducked under the punch from the putty facing her. She came back up with her right fist shooting out, striking the Z on its chest. She grinned as the putty broke apart, turning from it to see how the others were doing.

Zack saw the three putties heading for Jason and moved towards the mats, wanting to help his friend.

Jason ducked under the punches that two of the putties took at him. He stayed in a kneeling position, bracing himself on his left foot and spun slightly. He caught two of the putties on the ankles, tripping them and sending them onto their backs. Before he could straighten back up, the other putty was on him.

The putty threw himself at Jason, knocking the teen onto his back. He grabbed Jason's wrists, pinning them over his head to the mat as he straddled his stomach.

Jason tried to free his wrists as the other two putties came to their feet and started to move towards him.

Zack made it to the mats and grabbed the shoulder of one of the putties. He turned it forcefully, his fist shooting out and punching it on the Z. He moved past the putty as it broke apart, heading for the second one quickly.

Jason did not wait for Zack to get to him. He planted his feet flatly on the mat and heaved upwards with his body. He felt the putty release his wrists and he rolled away from it, coming to his feet as the other putty moved in on him. Jason went into a spin kick, his right leg shooting out and connecting with the Z on the putty moving towards him.

Zack reached the last putty as it rolled to its feet. He did not hesitate, but shot out his left foot in a kick that connected with the putty's chest. He turned to face Jason as the last putty broke apart behind him. "You okay, Jase," he asked.

Jason looked at Zack, nodding slightly. "Fine, bro," he answered. "You?"

"Good," Zack said. He glanced towards the rest of the rangers as they slowly made their way back to their table. "I'll go see how the others are doing. Come join us when you can." He turned and walked back towards the tables without another word.

Jason walked over to the bleachers, picking up his water bottle and taking a long drink from it.

Goldar smiled as he stood behind the bleachers, watching as Jason finished the entire bottle of water. He teleported out of the youth center, heading back to the moon palace to inform Zedd that his plan was proceeding without any trouble.

Laurie sat at a table in the youth center, impatiently waiting for Jason to come back out of the locker room. She looked up as he walked over to the table and sat down next to her. She turned to face him, ready to snap at him for taking so long, but the words died in her throat. She felt this instant attraction to Jason come over her and she moved closer to him, putting her hand on his knee. "I thought you would never get here," she purred. "What took you so long?"

Jason looked at her, surprise and shock at her attitude change leaving him speechless. Before he knew what was happening, Laurie reached up, putting her hand behind his head and pulling him towards her. Her mouth was on his before he could say or do anything to stop her.

A/N: Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I had a serious case of writer's block and I just didn't know how to continue this story. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

-1Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

A/N: Surprise! I finally got the chance to update. This one was hard. I had a serious case of writer's block. Nevertheless, things are coming along easier now. I am all ready starting on the next chapter. Hope all of you like this one.

Christine looked up from her book just as Laurie pulled Jason into the kiss. Shock, anger, jealousy and hurt ran through her as she watched them kiss. Without a word to Steve, she slammed her book closed and stood up, tears coming to her eyes.

Steve looked up as Christine turned and headed for the exit of the youth center, leaving her books and bag behind. He happened to glance over towards Jason and Laurie, just as Jason pushed Laurie away from himself and came to his feet.

Jason recovered from his shock as soon as Laurie's lips touched his. He pulled his head back, raising his hands to place them on Laurie's shoulders and gently push her back from him. He came to his feet, looking at Laurie in disbelief. "What was that about," he snapped, anger making his voice low.

Laurie came to her feet, reaching out and gently putting her hand on his shoulder. "You know what that was, Jason," she purred, trying to move closer to him. "Don't fight this, just kiss me again."

Jason put his hands on her shoulders once again, holding her away from him at arm's length. "Snap out of it, Laurie," he growled. "If this is a joke, it's not funny."

Laurie stepped back from Jason, hurt coming over her. "It's not a joke, Jason," she pouted, her eyes tearing up. "I really want you to kiss me again, that's all."

"I didn't kiss you," Jason snapped. "You kissed me."

Laurie took a step towards him, unaware that several people were becoming interested spectators. "What does it, matter," she whispered, taking another step towards him while looking into his eyes. "We both wanted it to happen and it did. Why fight what we're both feeling?" Before Jason could move far enough away, Laurie had her hands on his shoulders and pressed her mouth to his once again.

Steve came to his feet as Jason once again gently pushed Laurie away from himself. He moved around his table and headed towards Jason and Laurie, wanting to find out what was going on.

Jason held Laurie away from him, shaking his head as his anger grew. "That's enough," his voice hard. "Get a grip."

Laurie stepped back from Jason, the effects of the potion slowly wearing off. Shock showed on her face as she slowly raised a hand to her lips, looking at Jason with a stunned expression. She felt her face turning red and she turned away from him, moving away from the table as fast as she could, several people staring after her in shocked silence.

Jason let his breath out slowly, his anger fading as Laurie fled from the room, puzzlement coming over him. He turned as he heard someone walking up to him.

Steve walked up to Jason, a questioning look on his face. "What was that all about," he asked. "Why would you kiss Laurie?"

Jason shook his head. "I didn't kiss her," he responded. "She kissed me."

Steve glanced towards where Laurie had disappeared, and then looked back to Jason. "I thought she hated you," he said. "Why would she kiss you?"

Jason shook his head, letting his breath out slowly. "I'm not sure," he answered. "I sat down and the next thing I know, she's kissing me."

"Oh, man," Steve mumbled. "So that's why Christine ran out of here. She must…"

"What do you mean," Jason asked, interrupting Steve. "Christine ran out of here?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah," he responded. "Just slammed her book shut and ran out. I think she was crying."

"Any idea where she went," Jason asked. He swore softly as Steve shook his head. Jason turned from Steve and headed for the exit without another word.

Christine walked away from the youth center, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She turned and headed for the park, the hurt and anger making the tears fall harder. _How_ _could he do this to me_, she thought. _He asks me to go out with him, and then he turns around and kisses another girl? Why would he do that? _She came to the lake and moved to sit on one of the rocks around it, wrapping her arms around her knees as she pulled them to her chest. She sat there in silence, tears slowly falling as she tried to fight back the hurt.

Jason headed towards the park, looking in every direction for some sign of Christine. He came to a stop as he spotted her sitting by the lake, watching in silence as she brushed some tears from her cheeks. Jason took a deep breath and took a step towards the lake, hoping he could explain things to Christine.

Christine glanced up as she sensed someone near her. She saw Jason and slowly came to her feet, watching him with a mixture of emotions as she slowly walked towards her.

Jason came to a stop, just a few steps from Christine. Before he could say anything, Christine closed the distance between them.

Christine swung her right hand up, slapping him as hard as he could on the cheek. "I don't want to hear a word from you," she hissed, her anger making the tears dry up. "Just leave me alone Jason. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore." She went to move past him, but stopped as Jason put a hand on her arm.

"Chris, please wait," he pleaded. "Let me explain."

Christine turned to face him, anger making her eyes hard. "There is nothing to explain, Jason," she snapped. "I saw you kiss her."

"No, she kissed me," Jason snapped. He let go of her arm as she glared at him. "I didn't even kiss her back, just pushed her away."

Christine opened her mouth to answer him, but stopped as a strange feeling came over her. Her anger faded as the potion started to work on her and she moved closer to him.

Jason took a step back as he looked at Christine in puzzlement, not noticing the glassy look in her eyes. Before he could move further away, Christine was pressing herself tightly to him and reaching up to grab his head in her hands. Jason once again felt the shock come over him as Christine pressed her mouth to his in a deep kiss.

Christine deepened the kiss as she moved her arms to wrap them around his neck and pressed her body even tighter to his.

Jason pulled back from the kiss, raising his hands to grab Christine's and move her arms from around his neck. He looked at Christine as she stared up at him, unable to understand just what had happened. One minute, she was slapping his face and the next she was practically throwing herself at him.

Christine twisted her wrists from his grasp, placing her hands on his chest and gently pushing him back towards a tree behind him. She smiled at him as his back hit the tree, preventing him from moving away from her. She pressed herself tightly against him once again, slowly sliding her hands up to his shoulders.

Jason looked into Christine's eyes as her right hand slipped behind his head and pulled him towards her. Before he could even begin to understand what was going on, Christine once again captured his mouth in a kiss.

Christine felt Jason trying to break off the kiss and tightened her hold behind his head, moving her left hand down and slipping it under his shirt.

Jason overcame his shock as he felt her hand begin to gently caress his stomach. He reached up with his right hand, pulling her hand from under his shirt as he moved his head back, and breaking off the kiss. He resisted as Christine tried to pull his head back down and moved his body to the side, getting his back away from the tree and moving away from her.

Christine looked at Jason, the effects of the potion still flowing through her. She smiled at Jason as he moved to go around her. "What's the problem, Jason," she asked her voice slightly husky. "I know you want this just as much as I do, stop fighting it."

Jason shook his head, stepping back from her, still unable to make sense of what was going on. "Stop, Chris," he said gently, trying to get through to her. "Think about what you are doing."

Christine came to a stop, feeling the effects of the potion fading away slowly. She looked at Jason, anger coming over her once again. "What was that all about," she snapped. "Why did you kiss me? Did you think I wanted to be another one of your conquests tonight?"

Jason could not say a word, unable to make sense of anything that was happening to him tonight. He tried to get his mind to work, but confusion was keeping him from saying anything.

Christine stomped past him, heading away from the lake and leaving Jason alone and confused.

Zedd stood on his balcony, watching what was happening to Jason with almost gleeful feeling. He chuckled as he watched Christine storm away from Jason and head back towards the youth center. He turned away from the earth, looking at Finster as the little monster entered the youth center. "Your potion is working well, Finster," he chuckled. "Good job."

Finster bowed to Zedd. "Thank you, my lord," he said. "I had hoped you would be pleased with it. I hope that it has caused a lot of trouble for that earthling."

Zedd chuckled, once again looking towards the earth. "I have a feeling that the trouble is only just beginning," he said gleefully. "Once the female rangers are close enough to have the potion affect them, things will get even more interesting. I can't wait to see Tommy's reaction as Kimberly is affected by this potion. That is when the real fireworks should begin."

Steve stood up as Christine came back into the youth center. He could see by the redness around her eyes that she had been crying. He walked over to her, carrying her books with him. "Are you okay," he asked.

Christine shook her head, her eyes still bright with tears. She took her books from him, managing to give him a small smile. "Can we work on this tomorrow," she murmured. "I don't think I could concentrate on it anymore tonight."

Steve nodded, putting a hand on her arm. "Do you want a ride home," he asked.

Christine shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied. "I would really like some time alone. I'll see you in school tomorrow." She turned and walked from the youth center, holding in the tears until she was well away from everyone there.

Laurie came out of the bathroom and headed over to her table, grabbing her books and shoving them into her backpack. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her, making her uncomfortable. She closed her backpack and slung it over her left shoulder, avoiding looking at anyone as she headed out of the youth center, her face red with embarrassment.

Jason walked slowly back towards the youth center, confusion and frustration running through him. He slowed as he neared the entrance, seeing Christine heading away from the youth center. He wanted to go after her but stopped himself, knowing that he would only make the situation worse. He turned towards the entrance, just as Laurie came out.

Laurie looked up, sensing someone near her. Her face turned even redder as she met Jason's eyes. She looked away, moving to go around him without a word.

Jason stepped to the side, letting Laurie pass him without saying anything. He looked after her, then, shaking his head, he moved to head back into the youth center.

Steve walked up to Jason as he entered the youth center. "You just missed Christine," he stated. "Did you talk to her?"

Jason sighed heavily, nodding slightly. "I saw her," he answered. "It didn't go well."

Steve put a hand on Jason's shoulder, waiting for his friend to meet his eyes. "Anything I can do," he asked.

Jason shook his head. "No, but thanks," he said. "I think she just needs some space right now. I'll talk to her later, after she's had time to calm down." He looked at Steve. "What about your project?"

Steve gave a little shrug. "We'll work on it later," he stated. "How about you and Laurie?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I'll find out in school tomorrow." He looked towards the entrance, shaking his head once again. "I'd better head for home. Dad doesn't want me out too late, since Gary is still roaming around free."

"I'll give you a lift home if you want," Steve said. "It's on my way home."

Jason managed a small smile. "Thanks," he said. "Let me just get my books and I'll be right with you."

Gary stood in the shadows beside the youth center, watching Jason with hate filled eyes as he exited the youth center with Steve. He reached into his right pocket, pulling a handgun from it and slowly lifting it. Before he could bring it into line, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, jerking his arm back down. Gary snarled in anger and looked to his right. His angry words dissolved into nothing as he found himself staring into Goldar's eyes.

Goldar drew his lips back in a snarl, leaning his face close to Gary's. "Just what were you going to do with this," he growled. "Zedd would not like this at all."

Gary jerked his arm free, slipping the gun back into his pocket as he took a step back from Goldar. "I was going to finish things with Scott," he snarled. "Save Zedd the trouble of having to deal with him."

Goldar shook his head, jabbing Gary in the chest with one of his fingers. "Lord Zedd is all ready working on a plan for the red ranger," he snarled back. "I suggest you just sit back and let it play itself out. He will let you know when your services are required."

Gary glared at Goldar. "Zedd promised that I would be the one to kill him," he snapped. "Is he going back on his word?"

Goldar growled in anger and reached out, grabbing Gary by the throat and shoving him up against the side of the building. "Do now question, human," he snarled. "Lord Zedd will decide when Jason dies, not you. If you want to continue breathing, you had better do as lord Zedd commands, understand?"

Gary felt a real fear as Goldar's fingers dug into his throat. He managed to nod in agreement. "Yes," he croaked, trying in vain to hide the fear Goldar was making him feel.

Goldar snarled again and released Gary's throat, stepping back from him. "See that you remember," he snapped and teleported back to the moon palace.

Gary stood trembling in the shadows, his hand going to his throat and rubbing at it, trying to soothe it. He let out a shaky breath and turned away from the youth center, heading for his home, all thoughts of revenge against Jason fading as he walked away.

Zedd stood on his balcony, watching the exchange between Goldar and Gary through his visor. He nodded in satisfaction at Goldar's actions, please that he had prevented Gary from killing the red ranger at this moment. He turned his attention to Jason as Steve dropped him off at his house. He smiled under his mask as he watched Jason enter his house. "Your time is coming, Jason," he said gleefully. "Very soon, the rangers will all be turned against you and you will fall into my trap. Then, you will die and the rangers will not be able to stop it." He turned from watching the earth and headed out of his throne room, pleased with the way his plan was progressing.


	14. Chapter 14

-1Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own the Power Rangers. One can dream, can't they?

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post. I've been having major problems with my internet service. Hopefully, everything is better now. This chapter takes place the day after the events at the youth center from the last chapter. Hope you like it.

Christine opened the front door of her house, slinging her backpack over her shoulder to head out for school. She closed the door behind her and looked up as she heard someone approaching her. Surprise came to her face as she saw Laurie heading up the walk to her house. Christine crossed her porch and went down the stairs, meeting Laurie in the middle of the walk. "What are you doing here," she hissed. "Haven't you done enough without coming here and starting more trouble?"

Laurie came to a halt, shock coming to her face as she heard the venom in Christine's voice. She held up her hands, afraid that Christine might take a swing at her. "I didn't come to make trouble," she muttered. "I just thought we should talk. You should be warned about Jason and I'm just the person to do it."

Christine narrowed her eyes at Laurie, suspicion running through her. "What do you mean," she asked warily. "What kind of warning?"

Laurie gave Christine a smug grin. "He's a playboy, Christine," she smirked. "I wouldn't get my hopes up about being a steady girlfriend to him. He plays the field, never sticking with one girl for more than a couple of dates. That's what he did to my friend, Cara. Dated her twice, and then dumped her without any explanation."

Christine studied Laurie's face, wondering if she should believe her or not. She shook her head, pushing past the other girl and heading down the walk. She glanced at Laurie over her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about my being competition for you," she snapped. "After last night, you can have Jason. I don't want anything to do with him anymore." She turned her head back around and headed for school without another word.

Laurie watched her go, a look of satisfaction on her face. She turned and headed off in the opposite direction of Christine, ducking into some trees and looking around to see if anyone was watching her. When she was sure that no one was around, she disappeared in a beam of red light.

Zedd looked up as Laurie arrived in his throne room. He smiled as he stood up, looking the young woman up and down. "Well, Scorpina," he snapped. "Have you done the job I asked of you? Is that brat out of the picture?"

Scorpina smiled as her disguise disappeared. "Of course," she replied. "Did you ever doubt that I wouldn't do as you asked?"

Zedd walked right up to her, grabbing her chin in his hand and putting his face right up against hers. "You'd better be right," he snarled. "I don't want Jason to have anyone on his side. This plan will not work if he's got any support around him."

Scorpina jerked her head away from him, causing him to lose his grip on her chin. "I know how to do my job," she snapped. "Trust me."

Zedd grabbed her arm, meeting the angry gaze she gave him. "I don't trust you," he snarled. "Your first loyalty has always been to Rita. You'd better not double cross me." He released her arm as she glared at him. "Put your disguise back on and get back down there. You still have work to do."

Scorpina glared at him for a few seconds more before closing her eyes and bringing back her disguise as the teenage Laurie. She met Zedd's gaze before teleporting out of the moon palace. "I'd better be done with my part soon," she growled. "I can't stand pretending to be a human much longer. They are vile creatures."

"Just get back to work," Zedd snapped. "Don't fail me, Scorpina. I can still make you join Rita if you do."

"As you wish, my lord," Scorpina said, bowing low to him. "I live to only serve you." She stood up straight and teleported out of the moon palace before Zedd could say more to her.

Zedd glared after her, anger making his body glow a deep red. He turned with a snarl and went over to his balcony, focusing his attention to earth.

Jason closed his locker after getting his books out for his morning classes. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to his left, finding Trini standing next to him. "Hey, Trini," he greeted. "What's up?"

Trini smiled at Jason, moving closer to him without realizing it. "Not much, Jason," she answered. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped as a strange feeling came over her. She moved her hand slowly up his arm, looking into his eyes as she took a step closer to him.

Jason met Trini's eyes, shock at her actions temporarily keeping him from moving for a few seconds. Sense returned to him as Trini slid her hand up over his shoulder and to the back of his neck. He reached up, gently pulling her arm down as he noticed a slightly glassy look in her eyes. "Stop, Trini," his voice low and sharp.

Trini slowly lowered her arm, pulling it from Jason's gentle grip. She shook her head, seeming to come out of some sort of trance as she looked up to meet Jason's eyes. "I'm sorry, Jason," she whispered, shock coming over her face. "I don't know what just happened."

Jason stood looking at her, watching as the glassy look faded from her eyes. He did not see Christine standing just a few feet behind Trini, watching everything that happened with growing anger and disgust.

Trini felt her face turning red as she met Jason's gaze. "That was really weird," she exclaimed. "I don't know what came over me. I just got this strange feeling that I wanted to kiss you, and I wasn't about to stop." She shook her head, looking at him once again. "What is going on?"

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as movement behind Trini drew his attention. He felt apprehensive as Christine walked up to him. Before he could say anything, his head snapped to the side as Christine slapped him.

Trini and several other students stood in stunned silence, their mouths dropping open in surprise as Christine turned and stormed down the hall, never saying a word.

Jason felt several pairs of eyes on him as he watched Christine practically run away from him down the hall. He looked back to Trini, seeing the shock and concern on her face. He let his breath out slowly, reaching up to rub his stinging cheek.

"Jason, are you okay," Trini asked, concern in her voice.

Jason sighed heavily. "I don't know," he muttered. He turned away from the stares of the other students, his face flushing slightly. "I'll see you later, Trini." He headed off without another word, leaving a baffled Trini standing near his locker.

Scorpina stood in the shadows, watching with a satisfied smile on her face as Jason walked off down the hall. She turned and headed in the other direction, pleased that Zedd's plan seemed to be working without any problem.

Kim sat at the lunch table, listening to other students talking about the encounter they had witnessed this morning in the hallway. She looked up as Trini sat down next to her, curiosity getting the better of her. "Did you hear what happened this morning between Jason and Christine," she asked.

Trini gave Kim an exasperated look. "Kim, I was right there," she stated. "I saw Jason at his locker and went over to see if he was all right after last night. The next thing I knew, I was almost kissing him. Christine must have seen the whole thing and she did not react well to it." She shook her head, meeting Kim's shocked expression. "The thing is, Jason didn't do anything to encourage me in any way. He seemed rather shocked at my actions and prevented me from doing anything. It was really weird."

Kim sat back in her chair, shaking her head as she processed what Trini had just said. She looked at her friend. "Where did that idea come from," she asked. "Why would you want to kiss Jason? I never knew you were attracted to him that way."

Trini shook her head, looking at her best friend in surprise. "I'm not," she stated. "Jason is like a brother to me, nothing more. I don't know what happened to make me feel that way, it came out of nowhere."

Kim frowned in puzzlement, shaking her head. "Something is going on, Trini," she stated. "Maybe we should go to the command center after school and see if Zordon knows anything."

Before Trini could reply, Tommy, Zack and Billy walked over, sitting down to join them at the table.

Kim let the matter drop as the boys started up a conversation on another matter.

Steve stood beside Christine's locker, waiting for her to gather her books for her homework assignments so they could head for the youth center together. He had heard other students talking all through the day and had appointed himself her protector, keeping the curious away from her.

Christine closed her locker and looked at Steve. "All set," she said, managing a small smile at him.

Steve smiled back at her, taking her arm and turning her towards the school exit.

Both of them stopped in shock at the scene before them, unable to move or tear their eyes away.

Jason closed his locker, sighing heavily as he heard someone walk up to him. He turned to his left and found Kim moving towards him. He turned to face her, wondering what she wanted.

Kim walked slowly up to Jason, wanting to see if he was all right. She had not had the chance to talk to him at all today. She gave him a small smile. "Hi, Jason," she greeted. "Are you okay?"

Jason sighed once again. "You heard?"

Kim nodded, stopping to stand right in front of him. "I couldn't help but hear," she stated. "The whole school was talking about it. What happened?"

Jason shook his head, not noticing that Kim was moving closer to him, slowly but surely. "I don't know," he muttered. "I said hi to Trini this morning, then the next thing I knew, she was trying to kiss me. Christine must have seen the whole thing and reacted by slapping me." He stopped as Kim suddenly dropped her books, pressing right against him. Before Jason knew what was happening, Kim turned him and pressed him against the lockers, her arms going around his neck.

Kim couldn't stop herself, reaching up and pulling his head down to her. She pressed herself tightly against Jason as her lips contacted his.

Jason resisted at first, shock making him immobile, but he slowly felt his resistant melting away and started to return Kim's kiss. He felt his arms going around her and pulling her tightly against himself, deepening the kiss as he found he could not fight the feelings raging through him.

Kim moaned slightly as Jason returned her kiss. Her mind was screaming at her that this was wrong, what would Tommy think, but she found she could not stop herself. She felt Jason's arms go around her and she responded by kissing him even more.

Jason could not stop himself, his long repressed feelings coming out in the kiss as Kim pressed as tightly against him as she could. He moaned and tightened his arms around her, parting his lips and pressing his tongue against her mouth.

Kim responded by parting her lips and letting his tongue enter her mouth. She moved her arms, running her hands down his well-developed arms and caressing him gently with them. She heard a startled gasp behind her and broke off the kiss suddenly, looking over her shoulder to see Trini, Zack, Billy and Tommy standing behind her.

Jason broke off the kiss at the same time as Kim, also hearing the sound of their friends behind Kim. Before he could do more than lower his arms, Tommy was on him.

Tommy grabbed Jason's shirt in both hands and slammed him up against the lockers, anger coursing through him.

Jason winced as his back slammed into the lockers. He lifted his hands, grabbing Tommy's wrists and trying to wrench his hands away.

Tommy responded by pulling Jason away from the lockers and giving him a powerful shove.

Jason staggered away from Tommy, forcefully bringing himself to a halt to prevent him from falling. He turned quickly; ready to defend himself as he heard his friend approaching.

Before Tommy could reach Jason, he came to a stop as Kim inserted herself between the two of them.

"Tommy, stop," Kim ordered. "Don't do something you'll regret later."

Tommy shook his head, meeting Kim's eyes before looking past her to glare at Jason. "Oh, believe me, Kim," he snapped. "I won't regret this at all. It will make me feel a whole lot better." He tried to move around Kim, but she grabbed both of his arms, preventing him from moving away.

"I mean it, Tommy," Kim snapped. "Leave Jason alone. He didn't start this, I did." She heard the gasps of surprise coming from Zack and Billy as Tommy turned a startled face in her direction.

"Say that again," Tommy demanded. "I don't think I heard that right."

Kim slowly lowered her hands, releasing her grip on his arms. "I kissed Jason," she muttered. "I'm the one to blame."

Tommy's face showed the hurt that came over him at her words. He turned away from her and stormed down the hallway.

Kim threw a quick glance at Jason over her shoulder, then turned her attention to where Tommy was shoving open the doors. "Tommy, wait!" She ran after him, not bothering to gather up her books that were still strewn on the floor.

Jason stood still, watching Kim run after Tommy as his heart seemed to break in two. He turned away from the scene, ignoring the curious stares that Zack and Billy directed his way. He saw movement down the hall and his eyes went to Christine and Steve, noticing them for the first time.

Christine glared daggers at Jason, then turned and walked away, not waiting for Steve.

Steve looked at Jason in disbelief, then slowly shook his head and turned to follow Christine, jogging to catch up to her.

Jason watched the two of them walk away, frustrated with the events of the past twenty-four hours. He felt his anger beginning to come on and he turned towards the lockers, slamming his fist into one of them. He headed for the nearest exit, ignoring Trini as she called after him. He slammed out the doors and headed for the park, just wanting to get away from all of this.

Zedd stood on his balcony, watching in sadistic glee as the events unfolded before him. He turned to Finster, who was standing behind him, a sudden thought coming to him. "I didn't know that potion would affect Jason," he stated. "I thought it was just supposed to affect those bratty teenage girls that came too close to him."

Finster nodded his head. "It won't affect Jason," he responded. "I made it specifically designed to only affect the female humans."

"But he kissed Kimberly…" Zedd began, and then paused as a sudden realization came to him. He began to laugh in triumph, unable to believe the good luck that had come his way. "Oh this is too good," he chuckled. "This couldn't have gone better if I had planned this myself."

"What do you mean, my lord," Finster asked, curious as to why Zedd was so happy. "What has happened?"

"Jason is in love with Kimberly, Finster," Zedd responded. "He didn't kiss Scorpina or Christine. He was able to resist them. Trini didn't even get a chance to kiss him. However, Kimberly, well he tried to fight it, but he wasn't able to. He responded by kissing her back, very willingly. This is perfect."

"Tommy, please stop," Kim pleaded, trying to catch up to her boyfriend.

"Not now, Kim," Tommy snarled, his anger having taken the place of the hurt. "Just leave me alone!" Before Kim could say anything, he jogged off, leaving her standing on the sidewalk in frustration.

Kim watched sadly as Tommy jogged further away. She sighed heavily and moved to one of the benches in front of the school, sitting down and putting her head in her hands. _Now what am I going to do_, she thought. _I just hurt Tommy and he didn't deserve it. What have I done? _She felt tears of frustration come to her eyes and she didn't try to hold them back. Everything was so messed up and it was all her fault.

Zack looked at Trini after Jason, Kim and Tommy had disappeared from the school. "What was that all about," he asked, shock still running through him. "Did I miss something?"

"I think we all missed something," Billy replied before Trini could speak.

Trini looked at the two of them, frowning as she recalled what had happened to her this morning. "Something is going on, that's for sure," she said softly. "I think we'd better get to the command center and see if Zordon can figure this out."

Billy and Zack nodded in agreement and followed Trini as she looked for a quiet spot from where they could teleport without being seen.

Zedd watched the three teens disappear from the school and frowned under his mask. He turned away from the earth, thinking fast. "Goldar! Get in here, now!"

Goldar rushed into the throne room, bowing before Zedd. "Yes, my lord," he snarled. "What do you need from me?"

"Get down to earth," Zedd ordered. "Find Gary and bring him back here right away. The yellow ranger is suspicious and we need to get rid of Jason before Zordon figures out what is going on. Move!"

Goldar bowed once again, then turned and headed out of the throne room to carry out Zedd's orders.

Zedd turned back to the earth, finding Jason as he slowly approached his house. "Your time is up, red ranger," he snarled. "You are going to die, tonight. I'm not going to let Zordon spoil my plans." He turned from earth and went to contact Scorpina to set his trap for Jason.

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Let me know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I still do not own the Power Rangers. Oh well, at least this story is mine.

A/N: Hope everyone liked the last chapter. This chapter is going to have some very big fireworks, so get ready. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Jason walked slowly through the park, his emotions in turmoil. He came to the lake and stopped on the shoreline, looking out over the calm waters. He closed his eyes as his mind went back to the kiss, still feeling the effects that it had had on him. It had felt right, having Kim in his arms, like that is where she belonged. He opened his eyes as he thought of Kim racing out of the school after Tommy, the pain from that still lingering. Jason swore softly, not knowing how he was going to deal with this situation. He turned from the lake, ready to head for home. Before he could take a step, he disappeared in a teleportation beam.

Zordon looked down at Trini, Billy and Zack, frowning as they finished explaining to him exactly what had happened. He looked away from them, finding Alpha standing and waiting for his order. "Alpha, find Jason and teleport him here," he ordered. "Zedd must have done something to cause all of this to happen. I want you to scan Jason as soon as he gets here. We are going to find out exactly what is going on."

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha responded, turning to the control panel and following Zordon's instructions without hesitation. He pushed some buttons to find Jason and teleport him to the command center.

Billy turned from Zordon's tube, walking over to a table that had several pieces of equipment on it and picked one of the items up. He walked over to join Alpha, holding the scanner in his hands as he waited for Jason to arrive. "What's wrong, Alpha," he asked, as he noticed the little robot stiffen slightly.

"I can't find Jason, Billy," Alpha answered. "It's like he just disappeared."

Trini and Zack walked over to join them as Billy shook his head and joined Alpha in pushing buttons. "Keep trying, Alpha," Billy ordered. "He has to be somewhere. Check the park near the lake."

Zordon looked at the activity near the control panel, an uneasy feeling coming over him. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as an evil laugh reverberated through the command center.

Kim slowly approached her house, silent tears still rolling down her cheeks as she turned up the front walk. She looked up as she heard someone approach her. She reached up and wiped her eyes as Tommy walked towards her, taking a deep breath as she came to a stop. Kim stood in silence as Tommy came to a stop right in front of her.

Tommy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he spoke. "Why, Kim," he asked, his soft voice filled with pain. "Just tell me why you would kiss Jason?"

Kim wrapped her arms around herself, glancing down at the sidewalk before looking up to meet Tommy's gaze. "I don't have an explanation," Kim whispered. "It was like I had no control over myself. I got close to Jason and the next thing I knew, this feeling came over me that I just had to kiss him." She saw his skeptical gaze and threw her arms out to her side, frustrated with herself as well as him. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy," she snapped. "I'm not. I wasn't in control. It's like there was some spell on me."

Tommy's eyes flashed in anger as he shook his head. "Come on, Kim," he snapped back at her. "You expect me to believe that after I've seen the way you've been looking at him lately? You think I haven't noticed how much attention you've been paying to Jason recently? I'm not stupid. You're in love with him."

"What?" Kim was incredulous. "That's ridiculous. I love you. You are the only one I want to be with, not Jason. The only thing I feel for Jason is friendship, nothing else." Even as the words came out of her mouth, Kim felt something inside of her objecting to the words. She fought the feelings as she studied Tommy's face, wanting him to believe her.

Tommy shook his head, not ready to believe her. "Stop treating me like a fool, Kim," he shouted. "If you want to be with Jason, just say so. Don't leave me hanging."

"I don't want Jason," Kim gritted out, fighting the feelings deep inside. "You are the only one I want, Tommy. Ever since I met you, I never wanted to see anyone else. How can you doubt that?"

"Maybe seeing you in Jason's arms had something to do with it," Tommy snapped. He shook his head and pushed his way past Kim without another word.

Kim didn't try to stop him, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned and watched him walk away, hoping he would turn around and come back to her. When he turned the corner without even looking back, she spun towards her house and ran inside.

Jason looked around; uneasiness filling him as he saw that he was in Rita's dark dimension once again. He heard an evil laugh and spun around, surprise showing on his face as Laurie walked slowly towards him. Jason took a step back as Laurie's image faded to be replaced by Scorpina.

Scorpina continued to walk towards Jason, smiling slightly as he backed away from her as far as he could. She stopped just a couple of feet in front of him. "What's the matter, Jason," she asked snidely. "You don't like me like this? Should I just appear to you as Laurie once again? Do you like her better?" She smiled wider as she saw the anger come into Jason's eyes, stepping up right in front of him and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Why don't you try kissing me instead of that pathetic human I pretended to be?" She pulled Jason right up to her and pressed her lips against his before he had a chance to react.

Jason jerked his head back, forcing his arms inside of hers and forcing her to let go of his shirt. He stepped back from her, and then stiffened as his back hit the force field surrounding the dimension. He fell to his hands and knees, stunned for a moment.

Scorpina stepped back, looking down at Jason and chuckling as he shook his head to try and clear it. "I know what's wrong," she sneered. "I'm not Kimberly." She knelt down in front of Jason and grabbed his hair, jerking his head up. "Maybe I should disguise myself at her, and then you might just kiss me, right?"

Jason glared at her, but didn't say anything.

Scorpina released his hair and stood up, backing away from him. She met his gaze as he slowly got to his feet. "Don't worry, Jason," she snarled. "That isn't why you were brought here. Zedd has other plans for you." She stepped back further from him, pulling her sword out and pointing it at the floor. "He'll be here soon to see you. Better get what rest you can." She slammed the point of her sword into the floor and disappeared in a red light.

Jason watched her disappear, and then slowly began to look for a way out. He felt for his morpher, but didn't feel it at his back. He lifted his communicator, pressing the button only to hear it beep twice, then nothing. He lowered his wrist, moving slowly around the edge of the dimension to see if there was another way out, not willing to wait for Zedd to come and kill him.

Billy, Trini and Zack spun away from the control panel, staring at the image of Zedd in the viewing globe.

Zordon glared at Zedd, anger surging through him. "What do you want, Zedd," he demanded.

Zedd threw his head back and laughed once again. He looked at Zordon as his laugh echoed throughout the command center. "Don't bother looking for the red ranger, Zordon," he sneered. "He's with me. An unwilling guest in the dark dimension."

"Let him go, Zedd," Zordon ordered. "We've gotten into the dark dimension before, we'll do it again."

"Now, Zordon," Zedd responded. "That won't be necessary. I'll put him back on earth in a short time, I promise." He put a hand to the side of his mouth. "Of course, he might be a little worse for the wear once he gets back there." He shrugged. "Maybe I should just kill him before I send him back."

"I'm warning you, Zedd," Zordon growled. "You harm him and I'll…"

"You'll do what, Zordon," Zedd snapped. "You are nothing more than a floating head in a tube." He seemed to lean closer to the viewing globe. "Did you think all of those girls kissed Jason by accident? Hardly. That was due to my potion that Goldar slipped into his water bottle. In addition, now that Kimberly kissed him, my ends have been achieved. Tommy won't lift a finger to help Jason and you know it. Your team of rangers is broken and there is nothing you can do to fix it. I'll let you know where I send his body." He vanished from the viewing globe before anyone could respond to his words.

Trini turned a fearful face to Zordon. "What are we going to do, Zordon," she asked. "We can't let him kill Jason."

Zordon frowned and looked at Alpha. "Contact Tommy and Kim, Alpha," he ordered. "Have them teleport here immediately. Zedd is not going to win. We are going to get Jason out of there."

Jason turned from the wall as he heard someone teleport into the dimension. He fought the fear that filled him as Zedd appeared before his eyes.

Zedd looked at Jason, smiling under his mask. "We really must stop meeting this way, red ranger," he sneered, smiling wider as Jason glared at him.

"What do you want Zedd," Jason demanded.

Zedd held up his hand, stopping Jason from saying another word. "Patience, Jason," he snarled. "Let me explain a couple of things to you. I realized when Tommy came back that I couldn't turn him evil, not after the powers that Zordon created for him. Then, something else occurred to me. Why not create another dark ranger? I immediately thought of you, since you are the only person who has ever beaten Tommy in a fight." He began to pace as he continued. "But, even though I did my best to wear you down so you would offer little resistance to me, you still found a way to keep from turning evil. Therefore, I just borrowed your powers to create my own ranger. However, I knew that just having a dark ranger would not be enough to split you rangers apart, so I looked for another way to do that." He turned to face Jason. "Once again, you came to my mind. I realized that Tommy may have replaced you as the leader, but he could never take your position as the heart of the team. Even though you don't lead the rangers anymore, Jason, you are still the heart and soul of the team."

Jason watched Zedd warily as he started walking towards him. He tensed, ready to defend himself if he had to.

Zedd stopped several feet from Jason, looking him over from head to toe before he went on speaking. "I realized that if I was ever going to defeat the rangers, I needed to remove you from the picture. So I sent Goldar to the youth center with the putties and had him put a potion in your drink. I just wanted the pink and yellow ranger affected by it, but it worked better than I could have imagined when those other two girls kissed you." He stepped closer to Jason. "Of course, I noticed that you didn't kiss them in return and you prevented Trini from even getting a chance to kiss you."

Jason fought to keep his emotions from showing as Zedd leaned on his staff and met his gaze. Jason kept silent, afraid that his voice would betray his feelings at the moment.

"But, when Kimberly kissed you, you lost your resistance, Jason," Zedd remarked snidely. "Why is that? I was told that the potion would not affect you, only the females on that pitiful planet of yours. Then it came to me. You love her, don't you?" He stepped right up to Jason, putting his visor right in the young man's face. "Does Tommy know, Jason? Does your best friend know that you want to steal his girlfriend?" He gave a little laugh as he saw the anger that flashed into Jason's eyes. "How does it feel to realize that Kimberly only kissed you because of the potion?"

Jason's anger took full control of him and he lashed out, punching Zedd in the chest.

Zedd was taken completely by surprise and he staggered back from the blow.

Jason did not give him time to recover. He stepped closer to Zedd and went into a spinning kick. His right foot caught Zedd on the chest once more and the blow sent Zedd flying across the dimension.

Zedd flew back from the blow, dropping his staff as his back slammed into the force field. He fell forward and landed on his hands and knees. He shook his head, trying to get over the stunning effect as he heard Jason moving towards him.

Jason came to a stop right in front of Zedd, looking down at him with anger and hate in his eyes. He snapped his right foot forward, catching Zedd under the chin as he looked up at him.

Zedd flew into the force field once more, giving a cry of mixed anger and pain as he felt the electricity race through him. He fell forward once more, but his right hand landed on his staff. He lifted the staff, pointing it at Jason as the teen came towards him once again. Fighting off the pain and surprise, he sent a beam of energy flying at Jason, catching him in the chest.

Jason flew back as the beam hit him in the chest, hitting one of the pillars and falling to the floor. He lay on the floor, fighting the pain that was racing through him. He lifted his head slightly as he heard Zedd getting to his feet. Jason placed his hands under himself and fought to push himself up to his hands and knees.

Zedd got to his feet quickly; the pain fading fast as he angrily gripped his staff and stalked over to Jason. He saw the teen push himself up to his hands and knees and snarled in anger, driving his staff down into the middle of Jason's back.

Jason gave a grunt of pain and fell onto his face. Before he could move, Zedd slammed his foot onto his back, right between his shoulder blades and held him down.

Zedd glared down at Jason, taking his staff and placing the Z right against the back of his neck. "I should just kill you now, Jason," he snarled. "But I made a promise to my dark ranger that he would get the pleasure of ending your life." He removed his foot and leaned down, pressing the Z tighter against Jason's neck. "I'll even give you your morpher so that it will be a fair fight, sort of." He stood up straight and removed his staff from Jason's neck. Without a word, he lifted his staff and teleported out of the dimension.

Jason slowly placed his hands onto the floor and pushed himself up to his knees. He shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness from it. He looked up as someone else teleported into the dimension. Before he could move, Goldar reached down and grabbed him by the arms.

Goldar hauled Jason to his feet and teleported them out of the dark dimension without a word.

Tommy stood in the command center, mixed feelings running through him. He avoided Kim's eyes as he looked at Zordon. "Can we get in the dimension, Zordon," he asked. "We can't let Zedd get away with this."

Zordon his relief at Tommy's words and nodded at the white ranger. "Billy and Alpha almost have the coordinates locked into the computer, Tommy," he responded. "Once they accomplish that, you need to morph and teleport there. Get Jason out and get back here."

Tommy nodded and looked at the other rangers. "Get ready to morph as soon as Billy gives us the word," he ordered. "We leave as soon as we can."

Billy glanced up and nodded at Tommy as he walked over to join the others. "All set, Tommy," he said.

"All right guys, its morphin' time!"

Goldar arrived in the park, holding tightly to Jason as Zedd arrived with Gary and Scorpina. He shoved Jason forward as Zedd reached behind his back and pulled out Jason's morpher.

Zedd shoved the morpher into Jason's hands and nodded at Goldar. "Release him," he ordered. "Let him and Gary morph then begin the battle."

Jason leveled his morpher in front of him. "Tyranosaurus!"

Gary pulled his coin out and held it to his chest. "Dark ranger power!"

Zedd lifted his staff and sent a beam of energy into the sky. He smiled as a force field lowered to surround the five of them. He looked at Jason as the teen held up his hand and called upon his power sword. "Time to die, Jason," he snarled, pointing his staff at Jason's chest as Scorpina, Goldar and Gary produced their swords as well.

A/N: That's the end of this chapter. Hope you liked it. I update as soon as I can. Let me know what you think.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Tommy looked around the dark dimension as he and the other rangers arrived there. He lifted his communicator as he saw that the dimension was very empty. "Zordon, there is no one here," he stated. "Are you sure this is where Zedd said he was holding Jason?"

Zordon's voice came through his communicator, as well as the sounds of the alarms in the command center. "Tommy, Jason is in the park," Zordon said. "All of you need to get back here as soon as possible."

"We're on our way, Zordon," Tommy said, lowering his wrist to look at the others. "Let's get back to the command center. Zedd led us on a wild goose chase."

The others nodded and lifted their communicators, teleporting out of the dark dimension without saying anything.

Jason swung his sword in front of him, blocking the beam that Zedd shot from his staff. In a continuation of the move, his sword swung back up, blocking Gary's sword and shoving the dark ranger away from him. He swung to his left, blocking Goldar's sword, and then swinging his own sword to strike the gold monster in the chest. He arched his back as Scorpina's sword slashed him, sending sparks flying from his uniform.

Goldar was waiting for Jason as he stumbled forward, slashing his sword across the front of the red ranger's uniform.

Jason staggered back from the blow, right into another slash from Scorpina's sword. He stumbled forward, going to his hands and knees and looking up as Gary approached him. Jason rolled to his right as Gary's sword slashed down at him, avoiding the blow.

Gary staggered back as Jason rolled right into his lower legs, sending him off balance. He snarled in anger as Jason rolled to his feet and turned to face him. He charged full at Jason, swinging his sword high over his right shoulder.

Jason lashed out with his sword, catching Gary in the chest and sending him staggering once again. He spun around as he heard Scorpina coming at him, ducking under the swing of her sword and lashing out with his right leg. His foot caught Scorpina on the chest and knocked her back. He came up from the spin, turning to face Goldar and block his sword with his own.

Goldar locked his sword with Jason's, pulling the red ranger towards him. He reached out and grabbed Jason by the throat with his other hand, tightening the hold as he tried to choke Jason.

Tommy watched the other rangers run up to the viewing globe, but chose to stay back. He watched the battle that was playing out as Billy ran over to the control panel, but remained silent. He took a step towards the viewing globe as Goldar grabbed a hold of Jason by the throat, anger building in him.

Zack stood before the viewing globe, his fists clenched tightly at his sides in frustration. He looked over his shoulder at Billy. "Billy, we need to get in there," he stated.

Billy looked up from the control panel in irritation. "What do you think I'm trying to do, Zack," he snapped. ""I'm working as fast as I can."

Trini and Kim stood side by side, their fear for Jason showing clearly in the tenseness of their bodies. Trini put her hand on Kim's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as they watched the lopsided battle.

Jason brought his left hand up, gathering his elbow tightly against his side. He shot his fist forward, sending the blow into Goldar's stomach. He wrenched his sword free as Goldar let out a croak and released Jason's throat, stumbling back a couple of steps. Jason didn't give him time to recover as he swung his sword up and caught Goldar in the chest once more.

Goldar flew back from the blow, falling to the ground. He lay there stunned as the breath was driven from his body.

Zedd snarled in anger and pointed his staff at Jason's back. He sent a burst of energy through it, smiling in satisfaction as he watched the red ranger arch his back.

Jason stumbled forward from the blow of energy, right into Scorpina's slashing sword. The blow raked across his chest and he spun around, crashing to the ground. His sword fell from his hand and bounced a few feet away from him. Jason lay on the ground, pain welling through him, as he tried to find the strength to get back to his feet.

Tommy felt his anger growing as Jason spun to the ground. "Get up, Jase," he urgently whispered. "Come on, man. Get up!" His voice grew louder as he watched Goldar, Scorpina and Zedd slowly stalk towards his friend. He glanced over at Billy. "Billy, we need to get there now!"

"Almost got it," Billy muttered. He pushed one last button and ran over to Tommy. "It's done."

Tommy looked at Alpha. "Teleport us, Alpha!"

The rangers' teleported out of the command center, landing right in the middle of the force field.

Zedd looked at Goldar and Scorpina as they came to a stop near Jason. "Get him to his feet," he ordered. "I want him to see his death coming." He turned to Gary as Goldar and Scorpina hauled Jason to his feet, each of them holding one of his arms in tight grips. "Its time, dark ranger," he snarled. **"Kill him!"**

Gary smiled under his helmet, gripping his sword tightly in two hands. He walked over to stand in front of Jason, raising his sword above his head, ready to plunge it deeply into Jason's chest.

Jason shook his head, trying to clear the fog of pain from it, as Gary raised his sword. He saw his friends arrive behind Gary and he summoned what little strength he had left, surging his right arm forward and in front of him.

Scorpina staggered, being pulled forward and in front of Jason, just as Gary plunged his sword downwards. Scorpina screamed in agony as Gary's sword plunged into her back and out of her chest.

Gary released his sword, shock and surprise making him immobile, as he stared at Scorpina's back.

Tommy ran at Goldar, raising his hand and bringing Saba into it. He slashed Saba into Goldar's side, making him lose his grip on Jason's left arm and sending him staggering back.

Zedd turned in surprise, seeing the rangers for the first time. He growled in anger and lifted his staff, sending energy shooting at the teens as they rushed him. The blow hit the ground in front of them, sending them flying back.

Jason felt his arms being released and he staggered back, fighting to keep himself on his feet. He stepped on something and looked down, seeing his sword on the ground. He bent down and snatched it up, turning to see Zedd blow the rangers back. Anger surged through Jason as he saw his friends fall to the ground and he charged at Zedd.

Zedd turned, just as Jason swung his sword up, raking him from his stomach to his chest. He staggered back from the blow, surprised at the power that was behind it. He managed to stop his stagger as Jason came after him. Planting his feet, Zedd lifted his staff and blocked Jason's sword swing as he aimed for his chest.

Billy, Trini, Kim and Zack slowly pushed themselves up to their hands and knees, shaking their head to clear them. They looked up, hearing the sounds of fighting.

Tommy and Goldar swung their swords at each other, both moving like lightening to block the other's blows. Tommy managed to get an opening, and his sword slashed Goldar across the chest powerfully.

Goldar staggered back once again, surprised and angered at the ferocity of Tommy's attack. He glanced past Tommy to see Scorpina on her knees, blood covering her torso. He snarled and braced his feet, meeting Tommy's attack with his sword and blocking it. He pushed Tommy's sword away from him, then swung his sword down, slashing Tommy across the chest.

Sparks flew from Tommy's shield as he staggered back from Goldar's blow.

Gary recovered from his shock and he grabbed his sword, pulling it out of Scorpina and spinning around. He saw Jason attacking Zedd and he gripped his sword and approached Jason from behind.

Jason knocked Zedd back with a powerful blow at his chest. He heard someone approaching him and spun around, right into the slashing blow from Gary's sword. He felt Gary's sword strike him once again and he crashed onto his back, winded from the blow.

Zedd saw Gary strike Jason down and he moved to help Gary finish the job. He stopped as the blue, black, yellow and pink rangers appeared in front of him, blocking his way to the battle. He snarled at them as he saw Gary raise his sword high above his head. "You may stop me, rangers. But, my dark ranger is going to kill Jason, right now."

The rangers spun around at his words, shock filling them as they saw Gary plunge his sword down, right at Jason's chest.

Jason rolled away from Gary, coming to his knees and driving his sword out, right at Gary's stomach.

"**Jason, NO!" **Tommy's shout was just an instant too late. He ran towards his friend, just as the tip of Jason's sword smashed into the power coin on Gary's belt, breaking it into tiny pieces.

Gary screamed as he felt the dark powers being torn from him. He dropped his sword, not seeing that it disappeared, as he fell to his knees, weakness coming over him. His ranger suit dissolved, leaving him in his street clothes as Jason slowly came to his feet.

Jason stood glaring down at Gary as his sword slowly lowered to be held down at his side. He put his head down, taking deep breaths as he tried to get his strength back after the fight. He looked up as Tommy ran over to him.

Goldar knelt beside Scorpina, cradling her in his arms. He looked at the wound in her chest and knew that she was beyond help. He met her eyes, watching as she slowly lifted a hand to touch his cheek. Before he could say anything, her hand fell from him and she went limp in his arms.

Zedd stood watching as the rangers ran over to Jason. He glanced over to where Goldar knelt cradling Scorpina's body in his arms. His gaze moved to where Gary was kneeling, his powers completely gone. Fury began to build in Zedd and his body started to glow a deep, dark red. His eyes swung to Jason and the hate and anger overflowed. He lifted his staff, pointing it at the red ranger and sending all of his power shooting out of it.

The blow caught Jason full in the chest and sent him hurtling backwards. His back hit the force field and he fell forward, collapsing onto his face. He lay without moving.

The rangers stood in shock as Jason was blown away from them, and then they turned, calling on their weapons, as they looked at Zedd.

Zedd walked over to Goldar and placed a hand on his shoulder. He slammed his staff into the ground, teleporting himself, Goldar and Scorpina back to the moon palace as the force field disappeared.

Gary slowly got to his feet as he watched the rangers crowd around Jason's still form. He turned, slowly walking away without any of them noticing him at all.

Tommy was the first one to reach Jason, falling to his knees next to his best friend. He gently turned Jason over, worry filling him as Jason's whole body limply rolled. He grabbed Jason in his arms, gently lifting him and turning to the others.

Billy lifted his communicator. "Alpha, Tommy has Jason," he muttered. "Teleport them to the command center. Jason is hurt bad."

Tommy and Jason instantly disappeared in a flash of white and red light.

The other rangers silently hit their communicators and followed their two friends back to the command center.

Alpha had a medical bed ready and followed Tommy to it. He watched as Tommy gently laid Jason down on the bed and removed his helmet.

Tommy stepped back as the other rangers' teleported into the command center. He turned and walked over to them as Alpha hooked Jason up to the medical equipment, the worry growing in him as Jason did not stir at all. He demorphed with the others, watching silently as Alpha began scanning Jason's injuries.

Kim walked up to Tommy, wrapping her arms around his waist as she stared at Jason's limp form. Silent tears ran down her face as Jason never moved.

Trini put her head on Billy's shoulder, feeling his arms wrap around her as she cried silently, watching for any sign that Jason was going to be all right.

Zack stood back from the others, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Come on, Jason," he breathed. "Come on, bro. Don't do this. Don't give up."

Alpha finished his scan of Jason, and then turned and walked over to Zordon's tube. "I can't do anything to help him, Zordon," he said softly. "Zedd hit him with is full power. All I can do is make him comfortable and hope that he can fight this."

Zordon looked down at the rangers as they quietly absorbed Alpha's news. He took a deep breath, and then looked at Tommy. "Tommy, I need to speak with you," he said softly. He waited until Tommy walked over to his tube as the other rangers crowded around Jason. "We need to bring his parents here," Zordon said softly. "They need to know what has happened, in case Jason can't fight this."

Tommy closed his eyes, quietly accepting the hidden meaning in Zordon's words. He slowly opened them, looking at Zordon and reluctantly nodding. "I'll get them," he stated. He lifted his communicator and silently teleported out of the command center.

Zordon looked over to the medical bed, watching as the other rangers stood around Jason. _Zedd was right about one thing, Jason_, he thought. _You are the heart and soul of this team. You have to get better_.

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Hope you liked it. I'll update again soon. Let me know what you think.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own any of them.

A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews. It is a pleasure for me to write these stories and it is a whole lot easier to know that others appreciate them as much as I enjoy writing them. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations. Let me know what you think.

Karen Scott paced in the hallway, glancing out the window and looking for any sign that her son was outside, on his way home. She heard a car pull into the drive and went to the front door, opening it to find Michael getting out of his car. She rushed over to him, concern clearly written on her face. "Did you see Jason on your way home," she asked anxiously. "He isn't home yet."

Michael put his hand on her arm, looking at her calmly. "He had a class at the youth center today, Karen," he reminded her softly. "He probably stayed to hang out with Tommy and the others."

Karen shook her head, her eyes showing how worried she was. "Ernie called here looking for Jason," she responded. "He never showed up for his class. He hasn't seen him at all this afternoon. He hasn't seen any of his friends there as well." She gripped Michael's arm tightly. "Something is wrong, Michael. I can feel it."

Michael took her arm and steered her towards the house. "Let me make some phone calls," he said. "Don't panic. We'll find him."

Tommy arrived at their house just after the two of them had entered it. He knocked on the front door, surprised at how fast Karen opened the door.

"Tommy," Karen breathed. "What are you doing here? Have you seen Jason?"

Tommy took a deep breath, looking at Karen with a serious expression. "May I come in, Mrs. Scott," he asked. "I need to talk to you and Mr. Scott."

Karen opened the door wider, letting him into the house as the bad feeling in her grew stronger. "This is about Jason, isn't it?" When Tommy nodded, she looked towards the kitchen as Tommy closed the door. "Michael, Tommy's here. He has something to tell us about Jason."

Michael rushed out of the kitchen, looking at Tommy. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

"Jason's been hurt," Tommy answered him softly. "I can take you to him, but you'll need to hold onto me." He held up his hand as they both opened their mouths to ask him questions. "Please, it will be easier to show you what has happened rather than try to explain it right now. Will you trust me and come with me?"

Karen looked at Michael, nodding at him as she put her hand on Tommy's right shoulder.

Michael looked skeptical, but he put his hand on Tommy's left shoulder.

Tommy lifted his communicator and pushed the button to teleport the three of them to the command center.

Billy and Zack turned from the control panels as Tommy teleported into the command center, bringing Michael and Karen with him.

Karen looked around the command center, her jaw dropping in surprise as she spotted Zordon in his tube.

Michael looked around, his eyes meeting Tommy's as he stepped in front of him. "What is this place," he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"This is the command center for the power rangers," Tommy answered. "This is where we come to find out how to fight Zedd and his monsters."

Michael's eyes narrowed, anger surging through him. "Why did you bring us here," he demanded. "What does this have to do with Jason?"

Karen put a hand on his arm, silently reminding him to keep his temper under control. Her eyes darted between Tommy, Billy and Zack as the other two moved to join their leader. "Are you all power rangers," she asked, feeling her emotions in turmoil, all ready knowing the answer.

Tommy nodded. "Kim, Trini and Jason are as well," he stated. "Jason was hurt in our last battle. Zedd blasted him with a lot of power. He hasn't woken up since he was hit with it."

Karen dug her fingers into Michael's arm, hearing him draw in his breath sharply at Tommy's words. "May we see him," she asked, trying to stay calm and keep Michael under control.

Billy nodded. "I'll show you to the medical area," he said. "Kim and Trini are with him right now, keeping an eye on him in case he wakes up." He turned to head past the control panels. "Follow me."

Karen looked at Michael as he opened his mouth, shaking her head. "Let's go," she ordered. "We need to see to Jason right now."

Michael looked at her, seething with anger. He took a deep breath as he saw the determined look on her face and reluctantly followed Billy, walking beside her without a word.

Trini and Kim looked up as Billy walked into the medical room. Surprise showed on their faces, they came to their feet as Michael and Karen entered the room behind him. They moved back as Michael and Karen moved to sit in the chairs on either side of Jason.

Billy caught their eyes and waved them towards the door, wanting to give Jason's parents some time alone with him.

Trini and Kim wordlessly followed Billy from the room, giving the Scotts some privacy.

Karen sat down on Jason's left side, taking his hand in hers and holding it tightly. She reached up with her other hand, gently brushing the hair away from his forehead. "Jason, its mom," she said softly. "Your dad and I are here. Open your eyes, Jason, please." She met Michael's gaze as Jason did not stir.

Michael leaned close to his son, gently gripping his shoulder. "Jason, wake up son," he said quietly. "Come on, Jason. Open your eyes."

Jason lay without moving, no response showing from him.

Michael looked at Jason, silently praying that he would just move slightly, just a little. He watched his son's face carefully for several minutes until he couldn't stand it anymore. He let go of Jason's shoulder and got to his feet, leaving the room without a word to Karen as he left the room.

Karen watched him go, tears in her eyes as she turned back to look at Jason. "Please Jason," she choked out. "Open your eyes, sweetie. Come back to us." She felt the tears trailing down her cheeks as Jason did not respond at all.

Tommy looked at Kim and Trini as they followed Billy out of the medical room. "How is he," he asked softly.

Trini shook her head, leaning her head on Billy's shoulder as he put his arm around her. "No change," she whispered, silent tears running down her cheeks.

Kim walked over to Tommy, tears in her eyes.

Tommy wordlessly opened his arms, pulling her into a hug. He held Kim close to him as she cried in his arms. He held her for a couple of minutes, and then led her away from the others, needing to talk to her.

Kim looked at Tommy as they stood in a quiet corner of the command center. She remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

"Kim, I'm sorry," Tommy's voice was soft. "I know now that you were under some spell from Zedd when you kissed Jason." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I should have known that you and Jason wouldn't just do that, but I was hurt." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

Kim managed to give him a small smile, moving close to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Does this answer your question," she whispered as she pulled his head down to her. She pressed her mouth gently against his, kissing him softly.

Tommy wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against himself as he returned her kiss. He looked into her eyes, smiling at her. "I'd say that was a yes," he whispered. He gave her another quick kiss, and then pulled back as he heard Michael come back out into the command center. He turned from Kim as he saw the look on Michael's face. He felt Kim following him as he walked over to Jason's father, wanting to calm him down.

Michael met Tommy's gaze as he came over to him, anger clearly showing in his eyes. "I think you and I need to have a talk, Tommy," he growled. "Now."

Tommy reluctantly nodded. "All right," he said, looking past Michael at Billy. "Billy, why don't you and the others go see how Jason is doing?"

Michael ignored the others as he kept his eyes on Tommy. He wanted some answers and felt that Tommy would be the best one to give them to him.

Tommy waited until the others were gone, and then gave Michael his full attention. "What do you want to know, Mr. Scott," he asked.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Michael ordered. "I want to know everything. Start from the beginning. When did Jason become a ranger?"

Tommy waved his hand at Zordon's tube. "I think Zordon would be able to tell you everything about Jason being a ranger," he said. "He knows more about it than I do. I'll answer any questions I can, but Zordon can answer about how Jason became a ranger better than me."

Michael turned his attention to Zordon, glaring up at him. "Why do I get the feeling that you are behind all of this," he asked.

"Mr. Scott, please calm down," Zordon said, his voice quieter than usual. "I'll explain everything to you."

Michael leaned back against the control panels, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm listening," he said.

Karen looked up as Billy entered the medical room briefly, and then turned her attention back to Jason, not saying a word. She remained silent as Billy checked the medical equipment, reading Jason's vitals. She met Billy's gaze as he walked over to stand on Jason's other side. "How long have you all been rangers," she asked quietly. "Do your parents know about this?"

Billy sat down, looking at her before answering her questions. "We became rangers over a year ago," he responded. "None of our parents know about it. We are supposed to keep our identities secret."

Karen looked at him, shaking her head. "So, all of you have been lying to all of us for over a year," she stated, rather than asked. "All of those times you disappeared for no reason were because of this?"

Billy silently nodded, not sure what to say to her.

Karen shook her head, trying to keep her own anger in control. She took a deep breath before asking her next question. "How many times have one of you been in a situation like this," she finally asked. "How many times has my son been close to death that I haven't known about?"

"Not as many times as you may think, Mrs. Scott," Billy said. "Jason kept all of us safe, by making all the right decisions in a battle."

"How many times, Billy," Karen demanded. "Three, four?"

"All of us, or just Jason," Billy asked.

"Jason, Billy, just him."

"Seven or eight times that I can think of," Billy whispered.

Karen sat back, fighting very hard to keep her emotions under control. She closed her eyes, not wanting Billy to see how upset she was becoming. She forced herself to calm down; knowing that getting angry right now would not help Jason get better. She looked back to Jason, watching his face carefully. "I'd like to be alone with my son," she said softly. "Please leave and tell the others not to come in here."

Billy turned from the table, not saying a word as he left the room. He met the others outside the room, shaking his head. "I think we'd better leave for now," he said quietly. "She seems pretty upset."

Kim looked with concern at the doorway, wanting to go in and see how Jason was doing for herself. "How is he," she asked, forcing herself to stay out of the room.

"No change," Billy said. "Let's go. We can't do anything for him right now."

The others didn't want to leave, but they didn't want to cause any trouble right now, so followed Billy back towards the main chamber.

Tommy met them halfway there, shaking his head. "We're leaving," he said softly. "Zordon is telling Mr. Scott everything and he's not taking it well. I told Zordon that we'd all go home. He'll let us know if there is any change with Jason."

Karen stood up, leaning her head down to put her mouth near Jason's ear. "Jason, please open your eyes," she pleaded. "Come on, Jason. I know you can do it." She put her hand on his cheek, gently cupping it.

Jason found himself surrounded by darkness, trying to find a way out of it. He felt someone touch his cheek and he stirred, leaning into the soft hand. He heard someone talking to him and he fought his way out of the darkness, becoming aware of sounds around him. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on the face before him. He felt surprise when his mom's face became clear to him. "Mom," he whispered. "Is that you?"

Karen smiled, feeling fresh tears come to her eyes. "It's me, Jason," she whispered. "Thank goodness. I thought you were never going to wake up. You gave your father and I quite a scare."

Jason looked around the room, seeing that they were in the medical part of the command center. He turned his gaze back to his mom, trying to read her face. "You know," he asked softly.

Karen nodded, fighting to keep her feelings from showing as she smiled wider at him. "The only thing I care about right now, Jason is that you're awake. Other things don't matter at this minute." She sat down, looking towards the door as Alpha came into the room. "I need to find your dad. I'll be back in a minute. Don't move until we get back."

Michael looked at Zordon as he finished telling him all about Jason being a ranger. "Why did Zedd do this now," he asked. "Why my son?"

"Jason is the heart and soul of this team," Zordon answered. "Zedd figured that out and thought that he could break the rangers apart by getting rid of Jason. It almost worked. Almost."

Michael was about to say something else when he heard Karen calling his name. He turned away from Zordon as Karen came into the main chamber. "What is it," he asked.

Karen smiled at him. "Jason's awake," she stated, and turned back towards the medical room.

Michael followed her, anxious to see Jason for himself.

Jason looked towards the door as his parents came back into the room. He sat up in the bed, trying to read his parents' faces and failing.

Michael walked over to sit down beside Jason's right side, looking at his face carefully. "How are you feeling, son," he asked.

Jason met his dad's eyes. "I'm doing okay," he answered. "I just need to get my strength back."

Michael looked at Karen. "How soon can we take him home," he asked.

Karen smiled at him. "Alpha said to give him a half an hour," she said. "Then, after he powers down, we'll take him home to get a good night's sleep."

Michael nodded, looking back to Jason.

Jason met his dad's gaze, wondering just what was going through his mind. "Dad, about this," he began, running his hand over his uniform.

Michael shook his head, holding up his hand. "Not now, Jason," he said. "All I care about is getting you home and making sure that you are okay. Other things can wait."

Jason wanted to object, but after glancing at both his parents, he decided to let the matter drop. "All right," he said. He leaned back against the bed and closed his eyes, wondering just what his parents were going to say about this.

Half an hour later, Jason demorphed and teleported out of the command center with is parents.

Zordon watched them leave and then turned his attention to Alpha. "Contact the rangers and let them know that Jason is okay," he ordered. He watched as Alpha walked over to the control panels and contacted Tommy. Zordon looked out over the command center, trying not to let his worry show. He could not tell from the way Jason's parents were acting exactly how they felt about all of this. He began to think he had made a mistake in bringing them here and he hoped he didn't regret that decision in the future.

A/N: That's the end of this chapter. Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

I just wanted to let my readers know that I'm working on the next chapter. However, my old computer crashed, right after I had the next chapter finished and ready to upload. I also have been fighting some bronchitis, so I really haven't felt like working on much of anything. I am trying to retype the next chapter and hopefully I will update by the end of next week. Thanks to all of you who review on a regular basis. I really appreciate your taking the time to tell my how you like my story. And, for those disappointed in my continuing to have Tommy and Kim together, that will not last forever. Kim really does love Jason, she just can't see past Tommy right now. It will take some time, but Jason and Kim will get together. Have a little patience and stick with me. Thanks again and I'll update as soon as I can. LOL.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. However, I do own this story.

A/N: I know it has been a long while since I updated this story. Sorry for the long wait. I hope you all like this chapter. Let me know what you think.

Jason, Michael and Karen arrived back at their house, landing near the steps just inside the front door. Michael shot out his hand, latching onto Jason's arm as he staggered slightly. "Easy, Jason," he said softly. "Maybe you should sit down."

Jason steadied himself, shaking his head slightly as he looked at his dad. "I'll be okay, dad," he responded. "I just need some more rest."

Michael tightened his grip on Jason's arm as he steered him towards the stairs. "Come on, son," Michael whispered. "I'll help you get to your room." He gently guided Jason up the stairs, keeping a steadying hand on his arm.

Karen watched the two of them until they disappeared at the top of the stairs, then turned and headed into the kitchen, letting out a long sigh as she went.

Jason looked at Michael as they came to the door of his room. "It's okay, dad," he murmured. "I'll make it the rest of the way." He gently pulled his arm free of his father's grip and opened his bedroom door. He looked at Michael as he entered his room. "Goodnight, dad."

Michael managed to give Jason a small smile. "Goodnight, son," he replied. "Get a good night's sleep." He stood there in silence until Jason closed his door. Letting out a long sigh, Michael turned and headed back down the stairs.

Karen looked up from her seat at the table as Michael came into the kitchen. "I made some coffee," she said. "I didn't think either one of us would feel like going to bed just yet."

Michael walked over and poured a cup of coffee, and then joined Karen at the table. He silently took a sip of the coffee, not looking at her as he thought about all they had learned tonight. He looked up as Karen cleared her throat.

"What are we going to do about this, Michael," Karen asked. "How do we deal with something like this?"

Michael sat back in his chair, shaking his head. "I don't even know what to think of this, Karen," he grumbled. "How do you deal with your son being a defender of the planet? I mean, it would be one thing if he was in the military, but THIS?"

Karen shook her head, trying to remain calm, as she responded to Michael's lingering anger. "Nothing my mother told me about raising children could have prepared me for something like this. I don't think I can handle this."

Michael took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Maybe we shouldn't make a decision tonight," he said softly. "We both are too tired and emotional to handle this right now." He took a sip of coffee, swallowing it slowly before speaking again. "I think we should sleep on this and talk to Jason before we make any major decision."

Karen sat back in her chair, quietly sipping her coffee before slowly nodding. "All right," she whispered. "We'll wait to make a decision after a good night's sleep."

Jason walked down the stairs the next morning, trying to work the slight stiffness out of his muscles. He entered the kitchen, making his way towards the refrigerator. He stopped as he saw a note taped to the front of it. Jason took the note down, reading it.

Jason,

Your dad and I both had to work early today. Your lunch is in the refrigerator for you. We will both be here for dinner tonight. We'll talk then.

Love you,

Mom

Jason slowly lowered the note, placing it on the counter. He looked around for a pen and wrote a brief response before taping it back on the door.

Mom,

I'll be here.

Jason

Gary stood in the hallway at Angel Grove High, watching the doors intently. He put his right hand in his jacket pocket, fingering the handgun he had hidden there. He felt tension rise in him as he saw Jason walk through the front doors. He slowly pushed away from his locker, gripping the gun tightly as he made his way over towards Jason. He came to a stop as he saw Tommy walk over to Jason, swearing under his breath. He turned angrily away from his plan, stomping down the hallway.

Jason opened his locker, looking up as Tommy walked over to him. He pulled his books out and closed his locker, turning to face Tommy.

Tommy came to a stop right in front of Jason, relief flooding over him. "Hey, Jason," he greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Jason managed to give Tommy a small smile. "I'm a little stiff this morning, but other than that, okay." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Tommy, about yesterday," he began.

Tommy held up his hand. "Its okay, Jason," he said, stopping Jason's words. "Zedd told Zordon that he placed a spell on you. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. Can you forgive me?"

Jason hesitated as he realized that Zedd hadn't told them the whole story. He met Tommy's gaze, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about it, bro," he replied. "It's forgotten."

Tommy relaxed, glad that things were getting back to normal. "Thanks, Jason," he replied. "I'd better get going. I promised Kim I'd walk with her to home room. I'll see you later." He turned and headed down the hallway, making his way to Kim's locker.

Zedd stood in this throne room, looking at the glass coffin that Scorpina's body had been placed in. His body glowed a deep red, anger coursing through him. He turned from the sight, making his way over to his balcony. He focused his gaze on earth, finding Jason as he walked towards his homeroom. His body glowed brighter as his hate for the red ranger raced through him. "You are going to pay for this, Jason," he snarled. "I promise that you are going to suffer greatly for this." He turned away from the view of his enemy, stalking out of his throne room angrily.

Goldar stood beside Scorpina's coffin, watching as Zedd stalked from the throne room. He looked down at Scorpina's face, feeling his own pain and anger swelling within him. He stepped back from the coffin and turned to stalk from the throne room. He was not going to wait for Zedd to make another plan. He was going to settle things with the red ranger himself, once and for all.

Christine walked out of the guidance office, pleased that she had been able to change some of her classes. She did not want to have to face Jason all day after the past two days. She gave a happy little sigh and headed towards her new home room.

Jason got through the day, having to endure disapproving stares from a lot of the students around him. He was never so glad to have the last bell sound, signaling that he could get away from all of it. He made his way to his locker, glad to be able to head for home. He made his way down the hall and arrived at his locker.

Gary moved quickly, approaching Jason from behind as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the gun out. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed Jason's shoulder, spinning him around. He pressed his arm against Jason's chest and pinned him against the lockers as he shoved the gun barrel into Jason's side.

Jason froze, feeling the gun dig into his ribs. He felt a surge of fear run through him as he saw the look in Gary's eyes.

Gary glared at Jason, digging the gun viciously into the teen's side. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Scott," he snarled. "It's time for you to die." He began to tighten his finger on the trigger, watching the fear that was clearly in Jason's eyes with satisfaction. Before he could to fire the gun, a strong hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him away from Jason. He was forcefully turned and a fist slammed into his face. Gary fell onto his back, blood pouring from his nose, as he dropped the gun.

Bulk stood over Gary, keeping his clenched fists held in front of him. "I've been looking for you, Gary," he snarled. "You and I have something to settle." He bent down and grabbed Gary by the front of his shirt, hauling him to his feet. He turned and slammed Gary into the lockers, keeping him pressed tightly against them. "My little brother is in a wheelchair because of you, scumbag. I thought someone needed to teach you a lesson."

Jason stood against his locker, trying to calm down after almost getting shot. He took a deep breath and turned to see Bulk slam Gary into the lockers. Jason dropped his books and moved towards Bulk, stopping as a hand on his arm held him back. He looked up to see Stephen standing beside him.

Stephen looked at Jason, shaking his head. He released Jason's arm and moved to stand beside Bulk, glaring at Gary. "Want some help, Bulk," he growled. "Don't let me miss out on the fun."

Gary stood pressed tightly against the lockers, a slow fear coming over him as he saw the way Stephen and Bulk were looking at him. He ignored the blood streaming from his nose and slowly lowered his hands from his face. "D-d-don't, please," he begged. "I d-d-didn't mean to hurt your b-b-brothers."

Bulk snarled in anger and pulled Gary away from the lockers, only to slam him into them once again. "Shut up, scum," he growled. "You don't get to beg for mercy. You didn't show any mercy to Derrick and Roger when they begged you to stop." He leaned close to Gary, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "There is nothing you could say that will stop me from killing you right here and now."

Stephen moved closer to Gary, smiling viciously at him. "And I'll be helping him, Gary," Stephen snarled. "Every step of the way."

"All right," an authoritative voice boomed out. "Just what is going on here?" Mr. Kaplan forced his way through the students who were standing around as interested spectators. "Bulk, let go of Gary and step back."

Bulk reluctantly released Gary and moved back, looking at Mr. Kaplan. He pointed to the gun that lay on the floor. "You might want to call the police, Mr. Kaplan," he stated. "Gary dropped that when I punched him."

Mr. Kaplan looked down at the gun, his face going pale. He narrowed his eyes at Gary, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He bent down and picked up the gun carefully. He met Gary's gaze. "Just what were you going to do with this, Mr. Wilkerson," he demanded.

"My guess is he was going to kill Jason," Stephen answered. "He had Jason pinned against the lockers and when Bulk pulled him away, I saw the gun in his hand."

Mr. Kaplan looked to Gary's left and noticed Jason leaning back against his locker. He turned back to face Gary. "Bulk, Stephen," he barked. "Grab a hold of him and don't let him go until the police arrive." He turned to look at the students around them. "Joseph, go down to the office and call the police. Make sure they know one of the students had a gun." He moved towards Jason as Joseph headed down the hallway fast. "Are you all right, Jason," he asked softly.

Jason took a deep breath, fighting to keep his emotions under control. He managed to nod at Mr. Kaplan. "I'm okay," he whispered.

Mr. Kaplan reached out, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Did he threaten you with the gun," he demanded.

Jason slowly nodded. "He said he was going to kill me."

Mr. Kaplan turned angrily away from Jason, glaring at Gary who was being held against the lockers by Bulk and Stephen. "If I was a different kind of man, Mr. Wilkerson," he growled, "I would let Bulk and Stephen beat you to a pulp." He looked up as Joseph came back towards him. "Are the police on their way?"

"Yes, sir," Joseph answered. "They'll be here in two minutes."

Mr. Kaplan looked at the crowd of students standing around. "All right," he barked. "All of you clear out of here. The only ones who need to stay are those involved in this." He looked at Tommy, Zack and Billy who were standing off to the side. "You three can stay, but keep out of the way, understand?"

Billy, Zack and Tommy nodded, moving towards Jason to make sure that he was all right.

Michael Scott looked at his partner as they parked in the high school lot. "Did I hear the dispatcher right, Alan," he asked. "There is a student here that had a gun?"

Alan nodded at Michael. "That's right, Mike," he replied as they got out of the car. "I'm just glad it was found before someone got shot."

The two officers walked into the school, moving down the hall towards Mr. Kaplan.

Michael came to a stop as he saw Jason behind Mr. Kaplan, surrounded by his three friends. He glanced towards the lockers and saw Bulk and Stephen holding Gary firmly against the lockers and his anger came on strong. He made a move towards Gary, instinctively knowing what had happened.

Jason saw his father enter the school and come to a stop. He pushed past his friends and moved to step in front of Michael, putting his hands against his dad's chest. "Dad, don't," he ordered.

Michael looked at Jason, seeing the emotions in his eyes and he relaxed, putting his hands on his son's shoulders. "Are you okay," he whispered.

Jason suddenly couldn't talk as the emotions slammed at him again. He managed to nod, feeling tears coming to his eyes.

Michael squeezed Jason's shoulders gently, before letting go and turning to Mr. Kaplan. "Tell us what happened, Mr. Kaplan," he demanded.

Michael and Alan stood in silence as Mr. Kaplan told them all that he knew. Alan waited until Mr. Kaplan finished, then turned and walked over to Gary, pulling out his handcuffs. "Turn him to face the lockers, boys," he ordered. "I'll cuff him then we'll take him down to the station. I'd say his bail will be revoked after this incident." He silently cuffed Gary, looking at Bulk and Stephen as he grabbed Gary's arm and pulled him away from the lockers. "We'll need the two of you to come down to the station and give a statement." Alan steered Gary down the hall. "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. Do you understand these rights?"

Gary solemnly nodded, the realization of what he had done coming on him. He did not resist as Alan moved him down the hall and out of the doors without another word.

Michael pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket, carefully taking the gun from Mr. Kaplan and placing it inside. He looked at Jason. "You'll have to come down to the station, son," he said softly. "We'll need a statement from you as well."

Stephen stepped forward, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder. "I'll give him a ride, Mr. Scott," he stated. "Bulk can come with us, if he wants."

Michael nodded at Stephen, looking at his son once again. "Is that all right with you, Jason," he asked.

Jason nodded his emotions under control once again. "I'll see you down there, dad," he replied.

Michael nodded and looked at Mr. Kaplan. "We'll need a statement from you as well, Mr. Kaplan," he said. "I know you didn't see exactly what happened, but you did pick up the gun."

Mr. Kaplan nodded. "I'll gladly come down to the station," he answered. "I just have to make sure everything is settled here."

Michael nodded, looking at Jason once again before turning around and heading out of the school without another word.

Bulk walked over to Jason and Stephen, giving Stephen a small smile. "I'll take that ride," he stated. "And thanks."

Jason looked at Bulk, gratitude plainly on his face. "Bulk, thanks."

Bulk smiled at Jason. "I told you I would have your back, Jason," he replied. "I meant it."

Stephen walked over to Jason's locker, picking up his books and holding them out to his friend. "I believe you were trying to put these away before you were interrupted."

Jason managed a smile and walked over, taking the books from Stephen and opening his locker. He put his books away and turned to the others as he closed his locker. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Stephen, Bulk and Jason walked slowly from the school in silence.

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Let me know what you think.


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